The Next Generation
by KittyUchiha007
Summary: A look through the eyes of the next generation of Naruto. Ryuu, the son of Naruto Uzumaki, is an aspiring shinobi ready to graduate from the Academy to make his father proud and live the action-packed, adventurous life of the ninja. He just needs to pass his final year and make sure his teammates don't kill each other. Pairings and character descriptions inside.
1. THE FIRST DAY

**This is a new story I have been writing out of the blue. It is a continuation of the Naruto series through the eyes of the character's children as they finish their last year in the Academy. I might continue afterward. Here's the story background:**

**Setting: Future- when everyone is grown and has kids.**

**Current Hokage: Naruto Uzumaki**

**Main characters:**

**Ryuu Uzumaki- son (and only child) of Naruto and Hinata. Average kid but extremely clumsy.**

**Hikari Uchiha- daughter (and second child) of Sasuke and Sakura. Analytical and headstrong. somewhat arrogant.**

**Kaito- new kid in Konoha. Something is off putting about him.**

**Kenshin Inuzuka- aka "Ken" son of Kiba. Flirty but also loyal to his friends.**

**Emi Hyuuga- daughter (second child) of Tenten and Neji. Hyperactive and fun-loving.**

**Teru Nara and Tetsu Nara- twins of Temari and Shikamaru. They are one in the same.**

**Zan Yoshida- son of an anti-shinobi protest rallier. The antagonist of Ryuu.**

**Please note that this story is purely for my creative writing practice. I have written in first person for now but may change to an omniscient narrator if I need to practice that. **

**I do not own Naruto, but I did create the new characters in this story based on the people I personally know and maybe some characters in the Final Fantasy series.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The 1st Day

Ryuu's POV

Never again shall I set my alarm the screamo parody radio station. Even though I favored Woe is Me, I still thought waking up to their music was a bad idea… after I woke up. "WAKE UP IN THE MORNIN' FEELIN' LIKE P'DIDDY! GRAB MY GLASSES, I'M OUT THE DOOR, I'M GONNA HIT THIS CITY!" SMACK!

"Ryuu, honey, are you awake?" My mother asked in her quiet voice. Her pale eyes crinkled with a smile as she opened the curtains. A blinding light shot out and eagerly sought to gouge my own eyes out.

"Ughh… Nope, not at all, Mom," I replied, though she didn't seem to care about my morning attitude. Mom knew I was never a morning person like her. My internal clock was more like Dad's: ugly mornings and raving night parties... if you count playing videogames as night parties.

Mom's dark blue hair swayed as she turned abruptly around. "Start getting ready. I made your favorite since it's the first day of school: chocolate chip pancakes!" She smiled warmly and exited the room. Lazily, I threw on my school uniform and brushed my teeth. I didn't bother with my blonde hair. It seemed fine to me, so I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen… more like tripped on my shoelace, tumbled down and nearly rolled onto my dad's feet.

"Good morning to you, too, Son," Dad chuckled and offered me a sip of coffee. I declined politely, mumbling that the grotesque liquid was disgusting to taste, though nice to smell in the morning. "Ryuu, why do refuse to tie your shoes? You know that's how you end up tripping and one day, you'll embarrass yourself in front of the prettiest girl in school."

"Dad, shoes aren't in the top ten of my priority list." I replied jokingly. "Did you forget to shave? What's with the stubble?" I asked as I scarfed down my chocolate pancakes.

"Hmm? Oh, I thought I should go for a new look. What do you think? A little stubble okay?" My dad's blue eyes caught the sunlight as he rubbed a finger against his cheek.

Not wanting to spray chocolate everywhere, I took a swig of milk before replying, "Eh, so long as you don't look like Santa Clause, I'm okay with it."

Mom giggled as she set down a plate for dad and sipped her own coffee. "Naruto," she said to my dad. "Shouldn't you be heading to the Academy today in order to give a speech to the younger children?"

"Hmm? Uhh, is that what I'm supposed to do?" he scratched his chin, trying to remember what his secretary had told him last Friday before the weekend.

A vein popped out on Mom's right temple. "Naruto, how could you forget? You always give a speech at the academy. You're the hokage!"

Yeah, my dad is Naruto Uzumaki, the sixth hokage of the village hidden in the leaves. My mom is Hinata Hyuuga, a leading member of the Hyuuga clan. And who am I? I'm just a kid still in his awkward stage and going to Ryuunoha Sanin Academy, the finishing school for shinobi. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. I'm fifteen and still going to school. Why? Well, right before my dad became hokage, the education department changed. The elders felt that kids on the field were too young to be sent out on missions, even on C -ranks. So, our education was extended until the age of 16, instead of 12. Yep, my life sucks.

A knock came at the door and Mom answered it. Standing there, prim and perfect, not a hair out of place, was one of my best friends, Hikari Uchiha. "Good morning everyone," she greeted in a calm voice.

Automatically, Mom brightened up. "Good morning, Hikari. Please come in, have you eaten yet? I've got pancakes." Hikari was like the daughter Mom never had, though I don't think the Uchiha girl felt the same. She was one of those people who picked and chose what she cared about and how much. Hikari just liked Mom and Dad as an aunt and uncle, similar to how I feel about her parents, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha.

The Uchiha held up a perfectly manicured hand and answered, "No thanks, Aunty. But my mom did want me to give you this." She handed over a dark green and brown box labeled "Tea." "Mom thought you'd like this new brand of chrysanthemum tea."

"Well, I haven't had that in a while. Tell her I said thank- you once school's over."

Hikari nodded, her dark purple, almost midnight black hair shook with the motion and her even darker green eyes darted around the room, searching for its target. "Ryuu! You ready?"

Shoving another forkful of pancake drenched in syrup, I washed it down with the last of my milk and grabbed my backpack. "Have fun at school, you two!" My parents shouted.

Once out the door, I commented on her hot pink nails. Normally, she didn't put any sort of paint on her hands; it was just something a little too girly for her. "Nice nails, are you gonna turn me into a rotten princess, too?"

She scoffed and shoved me into a pile of wood standing on a nearby wall. Just before I thought the lights were about to go out on me, I felt a harsh tug on my arm. Hikari yanked me back and away from the boards. "Sorry, about that."

"Sorry for almost killing me, or sorry for almost ripping my arm off?"

My friend rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "It's not every day that my mom is home and decides takes me to the salon. Besides, I got really bored yesterday."

I put my hands behind my head and looked up at the clouds. "Hey, Hikari?"

"Hn?"

"I can't wait until we graduate. I'm really starting to hate school."

"Hn."

"I mean, it feels so unnecessary. Our parents started going on missions when they were twelve. Both of us are fifteen and the only thing we've done is D-rank stuff. Even with a load of training on the side, I'm sick and tired of being a civilian rather than a shinobi graduate. Believe it."

"Hn."

"Are you listening to me, Hikari?"

"Hn."

"Is that a yes or no?" I hated this Uchiha trademark. The sharingan is cool and all, but she and her brothers have this one word that I hate so much. I hated it enough to come up with my own trademark line, but it's not really original. I just can't remember where I always hear it from, though it always sounds just right. Believe it.

"It's a yes. And don't be such a drama queen, Ryuu. I know it's boring being at school and all, but I guess you forgot the most important thing about this year."

"Huh? What's so important?"

"This year is the chunin exams. And about a week from now, we'll be separated into teams."

"But, what about school?" I asked, genuinely confused. No one ever told me this, not even my dad, the friggin' hokage!

"Our class will do both this year. Gosh, you forget so easily," she rolled her eyes again and continued as we walked towards the school. "Students in their final year of Sanin Academy will still be attending classes on usual hours, but will also be taking on missions with their teams. We have a year to train together and once the summer starts, we'll register for the chunin exams."

"Aww sweet! I'm gonna wipe the floor with my enemies! Hey, do you want to be on my team?"

Hikari sighed in frustration. "Ryuu, we don't decide our teams. That's what our teachers do."

"Aw, balls! I'd hate to have to fight you."

A smirk appeared on her lips. "Yeah, because I'd be the one wiping the floors with your face!"

"What? You wish, Uchiha! I'm the son of the hokage! Naturally, I'd be the best!"

"Alright, we'll settle this in gym class, today."

"You're on, girlie!" I chuckled. It was always fun to tease each other like siblings. I never had a brother or sister, so Hikari was a great substitute, though she could be rather blunt if I ever asked for her opinion.

"Don't start PMS-ing," She jibed and elbowed me in the ribs.

We ran into Emi, my cousin, right before entering the schoolyard. Actually, she jumped me. WOOF! I think I yelped in a really high pitch, but I hoped I didn't. Either way, I ended up with a mouthful of dirt and my nose started tingling.

"Hey guys! Haven't seen you around lately, Ryuu!" Emi shouted in my ear. For someone of the Hyuuga clan, Emi was really loud. "Hey, Hikari! I love your nails. Hot pink screams pretty and punk, but I prefer the awesome black." She held up a hand with short nails and black paint already chipping. She must have bitten her nails a lot.

Still prancing about on my back, Emi asked, "Hey, Ryuu, I don't see you around the Hyuuga compound anymore."

"Gee, I wonder why?" I asked sarcastically. It's not that I disliked my cousin. It's just that we don't see eye to eye. I got more broken bones from hanging out with her than with anyone else. Plus, her spontaneous bipolar attitude often freaked me out. A better explanation would be that I mastered Gentle Fist and the shadow clone jutsu while she took pride and excitement in a collage of explosives and wires. "Hey, can you get off me?"

"What? Oh, but we never have time to build family bonds, Cousin."

"Get… off… can't… breathe."

"Oh, well, why didn't you say so? And don't you dare call me a fatty just because your lungs constantly collapse." Her off-white eyes narrowed at me. Emi inherited permanent Hyuuga eye color while I did not. My own eyes are a lighter shade of blue than my Dad's, but my pupils only disappear when I activate the Byakugan. At least, that's what Hikari told me when I asked her in the middle of one of our training sessions.

Thankfully, Hikari interrupted before Emi could squeeze some sort of response from me. "Hey, did you ever finish the summer project?"

A wide grin formed on Emi's face. "Yep, last night! It's kind of a poor finish, but I had way better things to do over the summer. How about you?"

"I've been done so long ago, I had to refresh my memory a week before today," Hikari giggled.

"AWW, Crap!" I moaned.

Emi's head darted my way. "What? Did I break your nose? If so, I can totally fix that."

"No," I palmed my forehead and got to my feet. "I left my project at home!"

Hikari scoffed, "Well, what are you waiting for? If you run like hell, you'll make it back in time."

"Save me a seat," I said and took off, running through the maze of early morning vendors like my life depended on this project. Well, my grade did.

Hikari's POV

I watched Ryuu trip over his own shoe laces again, nearly run into a steamed bun vendor and skid around the corner. I forgot to mention which class we were going to be in before he left. Oh well, he'll find his way.

Emi linked her arm around mine the way girls in kindergarten would. "So, where to?"

In only half a second, I felt another arm trap my free one. It was Kenshin; a.k.a., the dog boy, but most people just called him Ken. "Guess what?" He mused.

"Chicken butt!" Emi shouted enthusiastically. Kenshin's dog, Blazer, barked excitedly and weaved between our legs like a circus performer.

"Err, no, but I know what room we're in," he gave the two of us a toothy grin and winked his one pastel blue eye. The other one, brown, crinkled as a reaction to the wink. His wolf-like puppy barked again as if in agreement.

"We're all in the same room?" I asked as Ken steered me and Emi through the halls.

"Yep, room 32A; a window classroom. Wait, where's Ryuu? It's not like him to miss out on the first day of school."

Emi started to skip, but thankfully she didn't drag me into it. I tried to slip my own arms out of their embrace, but resistance was futile. Ken and Emi were the kind of people who liked constant physical contact, a reminder that they had a connection to the rest of society. Her arm simply bobbed against mine as she answered, "Ryuu's on an emergency run. He left his project at home."

"Ah, now that's more like the Blondie."

Bluntly I pointed out, "You're blonde too."

A hearty laugh escaped his chest. "Touché ma Cherie," he commented in French. A girl standing too close to us, thought he was talking to her. The dense prep nearly fainted at the sound of his perfect French voice. I rolled my eyes.

"You should learn more French," I suggested deviously. "Then you can clear the hallway for us."

"Hmm… Nah, it's too much of a bother to remember besides the swears. Maybe just a few more pick-up lines to get the ladies' attentions." His multicolored eyes began to roam around the halls, taking in every miniskirt he saw.

Emi stomped against the wooden floors and interjected in a humorous and sarcastic manner, "What are we? Chopped liver? C'mon Dog Boy, you're practically clinging to an Uchiha girl and a Hyuuga chick."

"Actually, I'm just clinging to the Uchiha. You're eyes are too freaky looking," He jibed playfully, though Emi took this chance to let go of me and begin chasing Ken, screaming that his eyes weren't ordinary either. Blazer glanced up at me, wagging his fluffy tail before he sped off after his master. I sighed, glad my arms were free and sauntered into class after the two. I didn't take their bickering seriously because Kenshin was a natural flirt, he couldn't help it, and Emi was the kind of person who picked up whatever conversation caught her eye and ran with it until she found something else.

The desks in the classroom were lined up as if it were a stadium so that all could see the teacher. There were three columns of desks, one by the window, one by the door, and one in between, and five rows in total. Emi was already seated by the window, Kenshin next to her, and Blazer in the aisle seat as if he were a person as well. On a whim, I chose a window seat in the row in front of Emi and looked outside. Nothing interesting besides the now crowded streets entertained me.

Eventually, the bell rang and I heard a familiar voice call to our attention. It was Iruka-sensei. My eyes widened slightly in surprise as I saw one of my previous teachers silencing the class and calling roll. Hmm, he must have gotten promoted.

I heard a cough and then a sound like someone clearing their throat. Without moving my head, I used my peripheral vision. Out of the corner of my eyes, a dark haired boy with charcoal eyes was facing me. I had to admit, he was kind of cute, but it normally took me a while to warm up to new people. "Is this seat taken?" He indicated the seat next to me.

"Hn."

"Uhh, I'll take that as a no," he slid his bag under the desk and casually seated himself. "So, uh… I'm Kaito. What's your name?" The dark haired boy held out a hand.

I didn't hear him when I turned my eyes back to the front, but almost immediately, I caught something else out the corner of eyes in the window. "What the-?"

Ryuu's POV

I slammed open my front door and flew up the stairs rather clumsily since I missed a few steps. My project was right where I left it; on top of my desk in a neat bradded folder with a clear presentation cover. I also grabbed the summer book that the project was over and slid them both into my backpack. Then, I heard a cough.

"Hey, Kiddo," my dad waved from the door frame. "Forgot your homework again?"

"Yep," I replied. "But I really gotta hurry, Dad."

My mother passed through the doorway, carrying a laundry basket and took a double take. She tapped Dad's shoulder in order to get him to move. "Ryuu, honey, please change your shirt. You've already smeared that one," she tossed me a freshly ironed, white button up.

Glancing down at my current shirt, I did notice a streak of dirt. Emi! Furiously, I ripped off my blue tie and current shirt, tossed the shirt to my mom, and threw on the new one. I hated putting on a tie since it took so long, but I got it right this time.

Dad smiled at me and said, "I'm proud of you, Ryuu. When I was young, I never did my homework." I decided that the window was faster and opened it. As I sat on the ledge, ready to go out, Dad continued. "You're a responsible kid… most of the time. But, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Dad," I smiled back.

Mom pointed to the clock on my nightstand. I couldn't see it from this angle, but I knew what she meant. "Hurry, Ryuu! Or you'll be late!"

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" I waved before I vaulted myself from the hokage building. Damaging almost every tree on the street with too much chakra, I leapt from branch to branch, praying that I won't face plant again. Thankfully, I didn't. I saw two familiar faces in one of the windows on the upper floors of the high school. One was a brunette girl with high pigtails bouncing in her seat. Another was a purple head with long hair facing what I assumed to be the front of the class. Emi and Hikari! Hot dog, today's my lucky day! If I put enough chakra into my feet, then I can jump off the ground, towards another tree and propel myself into the classroom without a hitch.

I wish I spent more time paying attention in physics class. Hmm… no, I just wish I saw the window as I hurled towards it. My eyes widened in panic, and I couldn't help but scream. "AAAAAHHHHHHH! Thankfully, Emi threw open the window at the last second. I saw Hikari's green eyes bulge out in surprise and she dove under her desk. Though, none of this stopped me from slamming into something. "OOOF!"

I heard a familiar but commanding voice call my name. "Uzuamki Ryuu!"

"Present!" I sprang to my feet again, ignoring the person I'd landed on.

"Project?" Iruka-sensei's voice asked again.

"Got it!" I pulled out my folder, but he motioned for me to sit down first. Finally, I turned my attention to the guy I had fallen on. "Sorry about that, man. You okay?"

"I think so," he replied. "Do you do this every day?" He rubbed his shoulder blade and got to his feet.

Naturally, I was about to sit next to Hikari, but I saw a bag in the way. Must have been the new guy's stuff. So, I took the seat next to him. "Man, I hope not, but this is more like a once a week deal. I just had to run back home and grab my project. I'm Ryuu, by the way." I extended a hand.

"Kaito," he shook my hand. The guy leaned over and pointed towards a scowling Hikari. Apparently that dive she took messed up her hair a little because she was brushing it furiously with a black brush. "What's her name? I asked earlier, trying to be friendly and all, but I think she valued her life more than my feelings. Ha-ha."

I laughed too. "That's Hikari. You gotta be careful around her. She judges based on first impressions and it takes her a while to warm up to someone. But once you gain her respect, you're a friend for life."

"Oh," Kaito responded. "I guess you should sit in the middle then."

"Nah, its fine. She'll get used to your aura. Ha-ha-ha! Besides, she's a good person." Hikari must have overheard us because she rolled her eyes at me as she put her brush away.

Iruka-sensei began lecturing us over what Hikari had already explained to me that morning, so I took the opportunity to talk to Kenshin. "What's up man?"

"That's quite an entrance. Interesting first day so far," he chuckled. Blazer leaned down to sniff my unkempt hair.

"Yeah, well, why not use a bit of style every now and then? That's how you survive school."

"Ha-ha! Pulling a stunt like that could kill a person if he's not careful. And dude, I hate school. It's so annoying."

"Me too… can't wait to graduate," I sighed.

A written test over the summer book was given to us. Usually, I got nervous around tests so it was no surprise that I nearly broke my pencil trying to write my own name. Just relax, you've read through the book and knew what you were doing on the project. No problem.

First question, who wrote the book? Well, that's easy… wait who did write it? Ugh… the book was called "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi," so the writer was… Jiraiya!

Okay, next question: Who was the main character and how did he influence society today? The name was Naruto, like my dad, and he influenced society by… damn, this is a hard question… he influenced society by…. by saving his friends and innocent civilians even though it jeopardized his mission.

Number 3: In what ways was the main character hindered from becoming a shinobi in the first place? I pick answer C.

I felt exhausted after answering thirty questions, but I thought I did okay. Tomorrow, we'd get our grades back so worrying won't do a thing. Afterwards, we discussed the book and presented each and every project. I slept through most of them since there were just too many for me to care. Iruka-sensei commented on everyone's presentation, saying "Nice job" and "Excellent detail." It made me miss going to the academy when all of us were little. Recess was what I missed most, but getting a gold star sticker on a report made me feel all warm inside. Whoa, that makes me sound like a major nerd. Well, in the words of Hikari, 'Pfft, who cares anyway?'

Nothing else interesting happened in our other lessons besides Chemistry.

Our teacher popped in one of those boring black and white videos about "groundbreaking" research that happened like a hundred years ago. I fell asleep again, but was prodded awake by something tugging at my pant leg. Using one opened eye, I found Blazer wanting my attention. He pointed his nose back to Kenshin and Emi.

"Wanna throw some grapes?" Kenshin whispered.

Finally, something interesting after all those other boring classes! "Toss me some."

Emi flung a zip-lock bag and I caught it. But, I didn't notice that she had flung an individual grape at me as well until it hit me in the head.

"Look alive!" She hissed.

I chucked one at her and she engulfed it in her mouth, though she did have to lean over a bit. I tossed one to Kenshin. Blazer jumped in his way and snatched it without a single bark.

"Ha-ha, I didn't know dogs liked fruit."

"Not particularly," he patted the husky's flank. "Toss me again." Expertly, Ken used his nose as a backboard, letting the fruit roll down his nose and into the bottomless pit. Emi threw one at Hikari, but it was too far for her to lean over the desk, so she used her hand to catch it. The grape was thrown right back at Emi, however, she suffered a sharp pain to the head by knocking herself against the window. We all laughed until Emi hatched an idea.

"Ryuu, get ready," she commanded. Using the cap of her pen, she balanced the green orb and flicked it high into the air. It was coming closer and closer, but it was so hard to see because the lights were off. Focusing on its shadow, I leaned farther and farther into my desk. Darn, it's still going. I had to face Blazer in order to get myself in the right angle. Just a little farther… farther…. "Wah!" BOOM!

Apparently, the guy and the girl in front of me were about to cuddle, because I found myself right in the middle of the two with my legs stuck up. "Hey guys," I waved my hand and pulled myself up, using the stairs to get back to my previous location. Emi, Ken, Hikari, and Kaito were snickering at me.

"Wow, way to ruin their moment," Emi cackled.

"Are you okay?" Kaito asked, concerned. I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a little numb.

"I've been through worse. Ha-ha!"

I think I failed gym class already. We were taken to the track field in order for our teachers to takes notes on our athletic ability and ran about 5 kilometers for endurance. I didn't finish last, but I certainly didn't make an impressive time. The entire worRyuuut, I was sucking wind like how an elephant drinks water. However, Hikari made first place and Kenshin was only second to her. Loyally, Blazer stayed close and tied with his owner. I can't remember who else was in front of me because I started seeing little black and yellow dots that morphed into stars and then back into dots. I think I passed out because the next thing I knew, Emi was slapping the heck out of me while pouring water onto my face. At first, I choked, but soon got the hang of holding the water bottle and quenching my thirst.

After that, we rested for about ten minutes. In that time Hikari patted my shoulder. "Don't overdue yourself, Ryuu. You still have the rest of the day to go."

"No, I can't give up. Besides, I wasn't last! That's gotta count for something!" I cheered.

She smirked. "Hmph. You're right. But if you would have taken my offer to run every morning in the summer, then you wouldn't feel like this, would you?"

"Again, I wasn't last," I urged. No way was I ever enthusiastic to get up at the crack of dawn and run around town or the forest like Hikari. Plus, I valued a good night's rest over killing my lungs first thing in the morning.

Twice, she sighed. "Whatever."

"By the way, since I didn't finish last, who did?"

"Choukichi Akamichi."

"Food boy?"

"Hn."

"I guess that makes sense. What place did I get?"

"Well, you did cross the finish line before face planting. And out of twenty kids today, you finished at about fourteen."

"Hey, that's not bad."

"Well, this isn't the entire class. Tomorrow, there will be a new set of ninja in training while we're off doing something else."

"Oh… do you know what my time was?"

"I couldn't see the clock. Blazer got in my way when he tried to pull you off the track and away from the other runners."

"Damn. What was yours?" She flipped her dark ponytail confidently and gave me a look that said 'If I tell you, it'll just bring your confidence down.' I shrugged her off.

She began doing toe touches and calf raises. "If you don't stretch, your muscles will get tight," She warned.

In response, I began doing the same, thankful that I won't be as sore as I thought I would. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked up to see Kaito. "Hey, how'd you do?" I asked.

"Ninth place. Not what I'd hoped, but…"

I laughed. "Better than mine!" Both of us chuckled until a teacher started commanding us to hit the showers. Man, I had never been so happy to take a shower. Dirt and sweat clung to me in a grotesque feeling. Plus, I felt overheated from the run and I could feel my calf muscles aching. I guess the stretches can only help you so much.

"Hey, Ryuu!" I heard a voice.

It was Kenshin. "What?" I asked without turning my gaze. I was looking for my belt.

He was buttoning his shirt as he said, "What are you getting for lunch?"

"Huh? Why?" My belt was nowhere to be found yet, so I settled on finding my blue tie.

"I'm thinking of grabbing that lunch table by the window in the cafeteria. I want to get a big one so that all of us can sit together. What do you think?"

I frowned. "What do you mean by 'all of us'? Don't we normally sit together?"

"Yeah… but I thought we could invite some other people, too. Hikari, Emi, Mizuki, Naito, maybe even Kaito. He's not too bad."

After inspecting my tie, I grinned. "Sure, why not? The more, the merrier, right?" In the past years, I ate my lunch with Kenshin and another guy. However, that other guy, I constantly forgot his name, moved to another village. So, for a while, it was just me, Ken, and his dog. Once, some of the girls came to sit with us, but only because Hikari broke the table after having a serious arm wrestling contest with a stuck up guy. As soon as that table was replaced the following week, the posse left.

"Where the hell is my belt?!" I yelled in frustration.

Kenshin looked around, surprised at my outburst. Then, he spotted the problem. "Blazer!" he exclaimed.

With tail tucked between his legs and flattened ears, a guilty husky dropped a chewed up piece of leather on the bench. I picked it up and used my towel to wipe off the drool.

"Bad dog," said Kenshin. "You should know that chewing up other people's stuff is not cool." Blazer whined and knelt by his feet, anxiously casting glances between the two of us. He licked Kenshin's shoe as if to apologize. Kenshin frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not the one you should try to make amends with, Blazer." The puppy crawled over to my feet and licked my shoe, too.

I couldn't help but bend down and scratch his ears. "Just don't do it again," I said soothingly. Blazer nodded and sat at his owner's feet, still looking for approval. Eventually, Kenshin gave in and patted his head.

"So," he began again. "I heard the school reopened the soup line. You wanna check it out?"

Last year, it was closed down due to some reported illnesses surrounding the hot soup line. Though a few people really had gotten sick, the rumors only spread through other people feigning sickness in order to get out of school. I couldn't help but be one of them. Despite our untruthfulness, the headmaster couldn't afford to lose his reputation, so it was closed down in the middle of the last semester. Now that it was back up, I couldn't wait to try the ramen. Ah, ramen… I could eat it every day. So of course, I answered, "Yeah, I can't wait. Let's hurry before the line gets too long."

Without further ado, the lunch bell rang and we raced into the cafeteria. Besides the reopening of the hot soup line, the cafeteria hadn't changed much. I ordered shoyu ramen with an egg while Kenshin got some kind of udon and a meat tray for Blazer. Thankfully, the table Kenshin had planned for was available. Quickly, we sat down and scanned the crowd for our friends. In a matter of minutes, I found Hikari's dark hair, now black in the cafeteria's lighting, bobbing about in the crowd. Emi's brunette head lurked close to her. Kenshin and I waved them over. Emi caught sight of us first, grabbing Hikari forcefully by the arm and leading her towards us.

"Hi hi!" she greeted and swung her bag onto the table. Her lunch bag toppled out and onto the table as if she meant to do that. "Some freshmen group got to our spot before us. Guess we're sitting here for the year. Hey that rhymed!"

Hikari simply looked irritated at Emi. "Emi, they're freshmen! We could have driven them out with just our pinky."

Quick to respond was none other than the said girl. "Well that just wouldn't have been nice, would it?" She laughed only to receive a rolling of the eyes from the irritated Uchiha. "Besides, all that running made me tired and hungry." She took a huge bite into her sandwich.

"Don't let it bother you," I said. "And it's okay, because Kenshin and I wanted to set up a bigger table. You know, bring a whole crowd together."

Immediately Kenshin waved over a guy with light brown hair and dark grey eyes. It was Teru, holding a tray of rice and dumplings. Teru was the son of the Nara family and his mother was a sand shinobi. Funny enough, he had an identical twin, a guy named Tetsu, but I couldn't find him.

"Where's your brother?" Hikari asked.

"Oh, he's in the Sand village this semester. Lucky brat." He mumbled.

"I don't get it," I said. "Why does Tetsu always travel between the two villages and you don't?"

Teru sighed and stuffed some rice into his mouth with a wooden pair of chopsticks. "Because my uncle Gaara wants a leaf ambassador every once in a while and my parents don't think I'm as," he held up air quotes, '"responsible' as he is. The dude is younger than me by five whole minutes and my parents trust him over me!"

"Oh, that sucks," I sympathized. Again, I didn't have a sibling, but I knew what jealousy felt like.

I then felt a light tap on my shoulder. It was Kaito again. "Hey," he soon asked, "Can I sit with you guys?"

Of course, I said yes since he seemed cool… okay, I also wanted to see Hikari's reaction. Kaito plopped down next to me so that I was between him and Ken. Hikari sat right across from me and next to Emi and Teru. Hmm, maybe we should have used a round table. Anyway, Hikari eyed him for just two seconds and went back to her meal. She still hadn't reached a verdict with this guy, but that was alright. Sometimes it takes her a couple of days to decide whether someone was going to be on her good side or not. So far, she's never been wrong and I respected that.

I turned my attention back to Kaito. "Funny," I started. "I've never seen you around before. Are you new?"

Kaito swallowed a mouthful of his lunch before answering. "Yes, I'm actually from the Mist village. I just transferred here because my mom got a job offer here."

"Really?" Teru asked. "What does she do?"

"Well, business stuff. She travels a lot so I end up jumping from place to place."

Hikari eyed him again before going back to her meal. She tensed for bit, forcing her face to stay neutral. Either no one else seemed to notice, or I was just imagining a lot of things today. Instead of saying anything to her, I steered the conversation somewhere else. "That's cool. So, are you going to show us some awesome moves in gym class?"

"Uh, sure… I guess." He scratched the back of his head nervously and gave a shy smile.

"Uh oh!" Emi exclaimed. Her head was turned to look at the scene behind her. "Looks like a food fight is about to start!"

I looked past the girls in order to see two freshman tables exchanging comebacks at each other. The verbal argument became extremely tense and there was no doubt that the rage would eventually spill over. I saw one kid pick up his apple. "Don't do it, kid. Don't do it!" I mumbled to myself though I'm sure the rest of my table heard.

The apple launched into the air and before it could make contact there was a scream from one of the other kids. "FOOOOOOD FIGHT!" Not wanting to clean the cafeteria as punishment for participating (yes, we've done that before) the six of us and one dog scrambled for the door and bolted back to class.

A confused Iruka-sensei looked up from his stack of papers. Seeing that it was only us, he merely waved and resumed his work. "Back from lunch, huh? It's a little early," he laughed, still not looking up from the stack. "What's the matter? Too nervous on your first day of school to eat?"

I was the one to tell him. "Actually Iruka-sensei, there's a food fight going on."

"WHAT!?" He exclaimed, jolting from his chair. "Not again!" Immediately, our sensei sprinted to the lunchroom, calling out to the other teachers for back up.

Hikari's POV

Finally, the last bell had rung and we packed our things together. Chatter filled the hallways as shoes scuffled across the room and into the fray. Shouldering my bag, I followed suit and pushed myself into the teeming hallway. However, if I thought the school wasn't busy enough, I had another thing coming. Ken, Emi, Terui, and Ryuu all crowded against me so that we walked out as a group. At least our rather large quintet intimidated others enough to step aside and let us through first. Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised. The five of us had been together since we were born…maybe even before that if our mothers had taken some yoga classes together while pregnant.

Emi pulled Kaito over to the group and started chatting like a canary. She whispered something in his ear and he his eyes darted towards mine and then to the ground. He shook his head, said something in response and motioned that he had somewhere to go. Abruptly, he stole another glance at the rest of us and took off. Hmm, something is off about that guy. His personality is harmless but… I couldn't put my finger on it just yet. I felt like I had seen him before but from where? Odd, he did say that he traveled a lot due to his mom's job. And what was with those glances. It's like he can't wait to see what my response will be towards him. I didn't remember him asking me a question besides my name, and he did get it, just from Ryuu instead of me. Better keep an eye out.

"So what do you think of the new kid?" Ryuu asked as if we were on the same page. Dang, did everyone want an answer from me today? We were walking towards the hokage building while everyone else split off towards their own homes. Sometimes I wished Ryuu's home wasn't on the way to my house. Then, I wouldn't have to always come up with an answer to satisfy his demanding conversations. Honestly, why couldn't anyone just be okay with walking and thinking to themselves? Talking doesn't solve everything or alleviate every tense bone in the body. But it does allow others to know all about your personal business, what makes you tick.

I sighed heavily, "Truthfully, I don't know, Ryuu. Kaito seems okay, but I haven't found a reason to hate or like him yet. It's too soon for me to know."

Ryuu nodded but then said, "Well, I think he's cool. A little nervous, but hey, it was the first day of school and he is new to Ryuunoha."

"Hn."

"Plus, I can tell he's trying to make friends. I think we should keep him."

"Ryuu, he's a person, not a pet."

"I know that! What I meant was that I think we should accept him into our group. You know, so he can hang out with us."

"You make it sound like you're doing charity work."

Ryuu whirled on me so fast I nearly stumbled into his chest. Thankfully, my reflexes weren't dull from the worRyuuut today at school so I caught myself in time. I looked up to see a serious expression on his face. "Hikari, I'm being nice. That's just who I am and who I always will be. People deserve a chance or two."

Aw crud. I struck a low blow. I forgot how Ryuu sometimes thought I twisted his words around when in truth I simply let my mouth slip once in a while. It's not like I did it all the time. Sometimes he let his mouth run, too, but I guess I was much more cruel with my straightforwardness. My distant cousin was a sincere person and cared a lot about others, whether they were friends or just strangers. For the umpteenth time that day, I sighed heavily, diverting my eyes to the ground. "Sorry. That was low even for me."

A smile replaced the serious expression. Ryuu was returning to his old self again. "That's okay. I just think he's got potential to be a good friend."

"Whatever."

"What's up with you, Cranky?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking and then you interrupted my thoughts."

"Whatcha thinking about?" I glared at him. "Oh, did I make you lose your train?"

"Hn," I nodded. Indeed, I did let go of my thought process.

"Anyway…" my blonde friend changed the subject. " You never did tell me how your summer vacation went. How was the beach?"

"Fine." I stated concisely. My family owned a beachfront house a little ways from Ryuunoha in order to get away from the village every once in a while. To be honest, I actually enjoyed the warm weather that contrasted with the cool waters.

"What did you do? Come on, I know something cool must have happened." Ryuu chuckled, "Did you meet anyone new?"

"I actually took up surfing while I was there. And no to the last question."

"Really? Just the usual stuff?"

"Yes. Ryuu, you go to the summer cottage with us every other year."

"Hey, why did you stop?"

"Isn't this your house?" I said sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah! See you tomorrow!" he waved and disappeared into the hokage building. I waved back and started on my way home. The walk allowed me some more time to think to myself. I enjoyed the quiet more than my two brothers. I laughed on the inside thinking about how my little brother could possibly survive thirty minutes of being quiet unless he was asleep or watching the T.V.

Once I reached the front gates of the Uchiha compound, I found my mother watering the rose bushes in front of the house. "You're home early, Mom," I stated in a questioning tone. Normally she worked until five or six at the hospital and yet here she was watering plants like she had been home all day.

"Hello Hikari," she greeted in a tone that meant 'hello comes first before anything else.'

"Hi Mom," I corrected myself. Mom's light green eyes twinkled in the afternoon sun. "Why are you home so early?"

She turned off the hose and wrapped it securely in its place against the brick wall. "What's so wrong with being home once in a while?" I didn't answer right away so she answered herself as we walked inside. "Your older brother is bringing a girl home for dinner, so I decided that I'd get home early and cook something nice." She flashed a smile full of pride for her first born son.

I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. "When did Hiro get a girlfriend?"

Mom snapped out of her daydream as she took off her shoes in the doorway. "I don't know, but I'm happy he had the sense to introduce her to us." I followed her into the kitchen, wanting to know what information she picked up. Changing the subject, she asked me, "So how was your first day of school?"

I thought over the events that happened today: Emi and Kenshin caging me in with their innocent arm links, Ryuu flying into the classroom like some jungle boy on death row, the grape flinging in chemistry, Ryuu passing out on the track, and the food fight. Deciding it was better not to tell since I did need to get my homework done, I answered with "Annoying. But I can't wait for the week to end so that I know who will be on my team."

She chuckled and opened a steaming pot of stir fried vegetables. With a wooden spoon, Mom stirred the mixture and added some more spices. "Well, did you learn anything new?"

"I learned that I'm the best runner in my class and that Hiro has a girlfriend," I said. Well, it was true. I doubted that anyone could have beaten my time. Plus, I didn't know Hiro had finally bounced back from his previous relationship. His last girlfriend had cheated on him and Hiro wasn't himself for a long while.

Again, Mom laughed. "Alright Ms. Arrogance, since you're so fast, did you bring home any homework?"

I thought for a second before replying, "No, but I only have a few stoichiometry problems to finish from chemistry class."

Waving the wooden spoon, Mom motioned for me to go upstairs and get straight to work. Once I was halfway up the stairs, she yelled, "Wash up and wear something nice for our guest!"

"Okay!" I yelled back and opened my bedroom door. Purple walls greeted me as i slipped my bag off and set to work. I finished most of the problems in the classroom and only had five more problems to go. Pulling out my binder, I took a quick glance at the notes and snatched a pencil from my desk. Let's see… so if glucose is C6H12O6 and there are thirty-two grams of carbon, how many grams of hydrogen are there? Easy, but tedious work. Not wanting to sit at my desk forever, I pulled out my calculator and input the numbers in specific formulas. Finally, after twenty minutes, I had finished all the problems. I looked at my clock sitting on the nightstand beside my queen sized bed. School was out at 2:30, I came home around 2:45, and got to my room after chatting with Mom around 3:10. Now the clock read 3:30. Mom usually called everyone to dinner around six, so I decided to change into a comfortable pair of blue athletic shorts, a hot pink t-shirt, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. After grabbing a basket of kunai and shuriken, I headed outside and towards our backyard.

Before my younger brother, Katsurou, was old enough to walk, Hiro and I would pick any tree on the property to practice throwing weapons. Mom got tired of seeing marks all over the majority of the trees so she nailed a target to one of them and forbade us to use our weapons on any other tree. "It takes a long time for a tree to heal and an even longer time for one to grow full size once you knock it down and plant another," was her reason. Dad didn't care too much since he had also used several trees to practice, but conformed to Mom's wishes and made sure we did the same. However, little kids were often forgetful, so we kept getting into trouble for a while before the rule sank in. Eventually, we realized that once a bull's-eye was hit, the knife had to be taken out immediately so that another perfect mark was possible. Dad only smiled at our dilemma and put up a few more targets for us.

I started off with simple flicks of my wrist which resulted in ten easy marks. Backing up about twenty feet, I then charged towards the target and threw several more. Again, the result was flawless. Now was the time to perfect my jump shots. Using my chakra to give myself a boost, I sprung towards a different tree, pushed off its trunk and swung my arm at the target. The kunai wasn't perfect, but it was closer than the day before. I worked for about fifteen minutes before I ran out of sharp objects.

"You're getting better," I heard a voice from the tree tops.

Turning around, I smirked at the owner perched on a branch as if he had there the entire time. "Dad!"

Like a cat, Dad jumped down from the tree. "Don't over work yourself when you're training for accuracy. When your body is tired, you will make mistakes and get into bad habits."

"And bad habits die hard," I finished. "I know, but I just can't help it sometimes. What else am I going to do before dinner?"

"I think you should wash up." He said and helped pry the metal off the wooden targets. With a full basket, the two of us walked back to the house.

"How was the mission?" I asked curiously.

"Success, but you don't need to know the details," he ran a hand through his raven locks. "Classified," he noted.

"Hn." I reverted my gaze back to the front. Most of Dad's missions were top secret and could only be discussed with the hokage. This was the usual response that I had been given ever since I could remember, but sometimes I would get the gist of the information.

He nudged my shoulder and asked, "Why is your mother in such a cleaning frenzy? I didn't think the house was dirty."

"Hiro's bringing home another girl."

"Ah." Dad nodded. "Well, you have thirty minutes to clean up."

"Hn." I set the basket in the closet, raced up the stairs and took a quick shower. I didn't want to put my school uniform back on so I changed into simple jeans and a black blouse. From downstairs, I could hear Katsurou arriving home from the academy. His heavy footsteps raced up the stairs and into the bathroom across the hall. "Hikari! Mom wants you to help set the table!" He shouted before slamming the door.

Indeed, Mom had wanted help so I put the rice bowls, plates, and chopsticks on the table while she took one last taste of the soup before putting it into a serving bowl. By the time Katsurou had descended from the upper floor, the front door opened. Mom stood frozen in place, watching, desperate to see. Hiro stepped in first followed by a girl wearing a pink dress. The stranger's chestnut locks bounced as her emerald eyes darted around the house like a nervous rabbit. She seemed different from the rest of the girls Hiro had brought home, but I couldn't tell why.

Mom put on her most comforting 'mom smile' and greeted, "Hello!"

Hiro's eyes were bright and cheerful. "Hi, Mom." He put an arm around the girl. "This is Eris. Eris, this is my mother," he extended his other hand to Mom and the rest of us, "my father, my sister, Hikari, and my brother Katsurou."

In three broad steps, Mom practically leapt over to the girl and took her hand. "It's so nice to meet you, Eris. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you Mrs. Haruno," Eris replied in a sort of relieved and gentle voice.

That's when I had noticed the difference between her and the other girls. This girl wore white flats. She was extremely gentle and cautious. Her movements were unsure. The eyes were soft. She was skinny and without any muscle tone at all. Hiro's new girlfriend was not a kunoichi, but a civilian. Instead of making my analysis clear, I pretended not to care and shook her hand as well. "Hi, I'm Hikari."

"I'm Katsurou," my younger brother did the same. He too had noticed.

Emerald eyes gazed at the both of us. A light smile took shape. "Nice to meet you."

Not one moment of silence could ease its way onto the table. Constant clanking of dishes against chopsticks and exchanges of questions and answers filled the room. Most of the questions were directed at Eris and a few at Hiro.

Mom asked the typical questions. "So, how did you two meet?"

A brief smile was exchanged between the two seventeen-year-olds before Hiro answered. "To put it simply-"

"Oh, no one wants the simple answer, Sweetie. Give us a story."

Eris's eyes lit up as she took over. "I'll start from before the beginning."

I leaned in intensely. This was going to be good.

The seventeen year old civilian began. "I work at Yamanaka's flower shop and sometimes Mrs. Yamanaka sends me out to deliver flowers. About two months ago, I was sent to the rougher parts of town to deliver some orchids. After the job was done, I ran into a bad crowd." Mom raised an eyebrow in worry, but Eris kept going, glancing shyly at Hiro. "I was cornered and they had knives for me if I did not cooperate. Thankfully, Hiro saved me."

Dad turned his attention back to Hiro to confirm the story. My older brother smiled, "I was on my way back from reporting to the hokage about my mission and I heard a scream. So I checked it out and found someone who needed my help."

Wow, I thought to myself, cliché but still made you say 'Aw.' After desert and some more topic discussions, Hiro walked Eris home, Mom washed the dishes while talking to Dad, and Katsurou and I wiped the table. Mom and Dad spoke in hushed tones but after my little brother left to go do his homework, I hung around by the staircase, listening.

"Well, I think Eris is a nice girl, even if she isn't a kunoichi," Mom stated.

"That's fine, Sakura, but Hiro needs to concentrate on his missions before he starts other things. The last time he tried to balance out a relationship and a job, he didn't succeed too well."

"Stop worrying. Hiro's seventeen years old now."

"Exactly. That boy should be careful."

"I think he can handle it."

"Like he did last time?"

"Hiro's going to fall every now and then. It's part of growing up." There was a pause that stagnated the conversation. "Let him grow up."

Dad sighed.

"Sasuke, don't worry. Hiro's doing fine. He already graduated as the top of his class, qualifies for A-rank missions, and still manages to be a good role model for Hikari and Katsurou. I think he can handle a girlfriend." Mom shut off the faucet before continuing, "You remember what it was like to be seventeen." Muteness followed and I realized that this was a good time to practice silent stair climbing as fast as I could.

* * *

**If you think some parts were shaky, don't hesitate to tell me. Originally, the main character's name was Kenko otherwise known as Ko. I decided to change it because Ryuu had a stronger meaning. So if you see that name anywhere, let me know. I had to enhance my technique for college application essays and some help would be appreciated for any future use in my chosen university. **

**Also, I don't always take suggestions, but I do encourage you readers to give me some if you can. Sometimes, the best ideas come from communication with the world. And yes, I do have a tendency to get writers block, especially if I had already finished a long essay for school or a killer test. **

**Please note that I am not committed to this story. There are no regular chapter updates, so new chapters come in whenever I make them. I know it sounds harsh, but it's better if I tell you all now rather than let you figure it out yourself and be disappointed.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. THE SECOND DAY

**Hi again**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but SOME of these characters are my own creation as stated in the last chapter.**

**I want to improve my writing since my current English class is all about essays (no creativity) so PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. MOST IMPORTANTLY, REVIEW**

* * *

The 2nd Day

Ryuu's POV

Class the next day seemed better than the first in some ways. There was less chaos per class and I had remembered to put my homework into my bag before school. Hikari showed up at the door at exactly the same time as she did yesterday due to her perfect punctuality. I, on the other hand, was still gulping down my breakfast before sliding out the door. While walking to the school grounds, I had come to realize that, like every single year of my education, nothing interesting happens past the first day of school besides gym class. Today we were given a "fun" challenge.

The head of the ninja-in-training department, Daichi-sensei, decided to set up a really long and complicated obstacle course. "Alright you ugly ducklings, listen up," his voice boomed and echoed like a sonic wave. Every single kid dropped his or her conversation and stood a little straighter than usual. Yeah, Daichi-sensei was intimidating. From that, I mean, he was one of those guys you would see on the professional wrestling channel with a really, really short haircut and ginormous arms that could crack your skull if you ever pissed him off. His jaw twitched under his heavily tanned skin. I had my suspicions he was from the land of lightning because from what my dad had told me, everyone from that area was as scary as hell.

Once he was sure he got our attention, Daichi-sensei continued with a confident stance, legs shoulder length apart and arms behind his back like a typical military general. "As you know, this entire week will test your abilities and yours alone. You are not working together, nor will you be put together in groups. This will continue until you are completely analyzed and assigned teams by the end of the week. Recently, you have been tested on speed and endurance. Soon you will be tested on strength, flexibility, agility, weaponry, and hand-to-hand combat. Today, we will work on agility with this fine obstacle course. In order for us to easily record your skill, I will run you through this course in several groups. Groups in this case does not mean team and being best friends! It means you run this entire course with several shadows."

I got confused at that last word and turned to ask Hikari, "Are we actually running with shadows?"

She used her peripheral vision to look sideways at me. "Figuratively speaking, the people with you are like a shadow. No help but no hindrance."

"Oh, then why didn't he just say so?"

"Uzumaki!"

Crap. He didn't sound very happy at all. I think my stomach fell out of my body, but I knew I shouldn't let him know. "Yes, sir!?" I replied in my best military tone, though I was sure my voice was an octave too high.

"You will be in the first group." Daichi sensei jerked his almost bald head at the base line. I walked as swiftly, calmly, and carefully as I could. Honestly, I didn't want to trip in front of him or else he may make me drop and give him fifty. As he called out four other names, I finally got a good look at the death trap that awaited me. What lay ahead, was an empty space (I assumed was for running), rows of tires, monkey bars with mud puddles underneath, nets, raised platforms, more bars reaching higher and higher, a rock wall, ropes, loops, tunnels, ladders, something that looked like a zip line, and… water? The whole thing was built to loop around and make the teacher know that we weren't cheating… which was probably why it didn't seem too taxing unless you really thought about it. After knowing that Ken and Kaito were in my group, I relaxed a little.

Daichi demanded, "Any questions before we start?"

Sheepishly, I raised my hand and waited to be barked at before asking, "Um, what do we do, exactly?"

Daichi was ready for this and promptly summoned a scroll and nailed it to a board with two kunai. It was a diagram of the obstacle course. I studied it for a while, trying to memorize what to do at each stage. First, we were to run over a cliff, catch the rope, swing safely to the ground, run a few more meters and through a row of tires, run some more, avoid nets falling on top of us, jump over a small line and onto the monkey bars, swing again and onto several raised platforms that led to an extremely long ladder, ride the zip line, dive into Ryuunoha lake, swim back to the bank, and run for the last time back to the starting point. Definitely not a piece of cake.

Ken's eyeballs bugged out and even Blazer tipped his head sideways at the diagram with a drooping tail. Kaito sighed heavily and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I'm going to sleep good tonight."

Ken looked back at the scene and stated, "Well, I'm pretty sure I'll pass out right about… there," he pointed towards one of the platforms. I would've laughed had I not been so scared. I was pretty sure that today was the day I would die.

"Uchiha!" Daichi snapped.

"Yes, sir?" Hikari replied with a raised eyebrow. It was amazing how she could keep her voice level when someone like Daichi was downing her.

"Don't give me that snobby look, Uchiha. I saw you talking as well. Think you're so sneaky? Well, you're in the next group. I expect you to be in the front of the pack!"

"Yes, sir," She replied calmly. A small vestige of a contempt smirk crawled into her expression. Of course, I knew she had the guts to be the best at this. Uchihas were well known for speed and agility.

That idea made me wonder about my own heritage. My mother was from the well distinguished Hyuuga clan, but where was my dad from? Sure, he's the hokage and all, but I don't recall ever having some sort of special ability or bloodline trait from him. And even with the Byakugan, I was far from ever winning a race against Hikari-

"RUNNERS ON YOUR MARK! GET SET!" Daichi-sensei howled at us with his supersonic voice. I snapped back into reality and took a stance. "GO!"

We sped off in a blur as the rest of the class cheered us on. Their encouragement fueled my muscles with energy like an adrenaline shot. The three of us kept pace while the two other guys sped up, eager to impress the girls. I had to admit that Ryuunoha had a lot of pretty girls, but I definitely needed to conserve my energy. Ken knew this too, but he made an effort to make his strides look longer and faster.

I took a gulp before diving off the cliff. Of course, we all screamed for the horror of death that awaited below us. Ironically, I had always wondered what it was like to skydive. Now, I could cross that off of my bucket list, but before I could even do that, I needed to find the rope. Thank goodness there were plenty after falling for what seemed like fifty meters. With a little chakra in my palm to prevent some serious rope burn, I latched onto the one nearest to me and swung safely to the ground.

That was initially my plan, but consequently, I put too much chakra into the rope. It snapped after feeling my total weight, leaving me to plummet once again. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Another rope came into reach, I touched it…. It slipped back… I tried again and finally got a better grip. The rope held my full weight until I was only five meters from the ground. I let go in order to land, but I was still going too fast. My torso began to dip down and I did my best not to face-plant. "GAAHH!" Hopefully, no one could hear my squeal. The last thing I needed was a broken face and all my friends laughing at me at my own funeral. Pulling my arms up and tucking my head, I managed to hit the ground without breaking anything. WHABAM! Like a fish out of water, I flailed and rolled around on the earth until my speed slowed down. Though nothing broke, I was definitely going to wake up with a purple and green back in the morning. Truth be told, I ended up with a little bit of grass in my mouth and my limbs splayed in every direction. Rejoicing at my miracle, I lifted myself off the grass. "I'M OKAY!"

"DUDE, MOVE YOUR- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Some extremely powerful force hit me from behind as soon as I had gotten up and sent me pummeling into the ground again. I spat some more blades of grass out of my mouth and discovered that Ken was the culprit.

Ticked off at him, I yelled, "What was that for?"

"What? I said move!" Ken rose to his feet and we both started jogging towards the tires.

"Of all the places to land, you had to land on top me!"

"I figured you'd move!"

"After I've already been tossed around like a bunch of kids playing kick the can!" I retorted sarcastically.

"Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, so moving some more wouldn't have been too hard."

"Shut up. We gotta catch up to Kaito."

"Where is he?"

"He got to the ground first and sped off."

"Smart guy! Or else he would have been hit with the both of us."

"I hope he passed those two lamoes that tried to impress the girls."

"Ditto!"

We came upon the tires and passed them in what seemed like hours. There were so many, I was already starting to pant really hard… well I did get the breath knocked out of me twice consecutively just a while back, so that must have been it. After the last tires I received my second wind and Blazer barked excitedly next to Ken.

"Ken?"

"Huh?"

"How did Blazer...huff… get off…huff… the cliff…huff… if there were only ropes?"

"I used the bottom…huff… of my rope to…huff… tie around his waist…huff… and untied him when…huff… we were close enough…huff… to the bottom."  
"Is that why you…huff… landed on me?"

"Yeah…huff… now shut up… can't breathe!"

I smiled and watched Blazer speed ahead towards the monkey bars, taking one giant leap and hurling himself on top of the metal. Awe-inspiringly, the wolf-like puppy trotted on the bars as if he was on a tree. However, Ken and I used the usual method. With just two swings, we flung ourselves onto a raised platform and climbed the insanely long ladder.

"I see the zip line!" I shouted.

Ken snickered, "I see the light at the end of the tunnel!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Waiting at the zip line for us was none other than Kaito. What was he doing standing around? I must've had this weird look on my face because he answered my question before I could even ask him.

"Before this started, there was a pile of cloth pieces that were to be used for the zip line. The two guys ahead of us threw them off the platform."

"Fudge those Benches!" Ken spat his substitutions for curse words.

Kaito turned his attention back to me. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, we're not done here yet," I answered. "We just need to think outside the box."

Suddenly, I had an epiphany. It was probably the most ingenious thing I had ever thought of since insisting that my mother did not have worry wrinkles whenever she asked. This idea was literally going to take us far; it may have been the peak of my IQ potential. "Ken," I prompted in a tone that often meant something like 'you've got an eyebooger.' He checked his eyes.

The said boy raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"That collar you picked out for Blazer is a very nice one."

Kaito raised an eyebrow as well at me. "Ryuu, I don't think this is the time for… OHHHH!"

Ken and Blazer both tilted their heads to the side in bewilderment. Kaito stepped towards Blazer and unbuckled the collar. "Let's go!" He nudged his head towards the zip line.

"OHHHH!" Ken jumped, finally getting the message.

Kaito placed each end of the red cloth on the zip line and waited for us to follow suit. I grabbed his legs, Ken attached one arm to my leg and the other around Blazer, and off we went. This wasn't my first time using a zip line and it would've been fun if I hadn't been so scared of falling before reaching the lake. The three of us screamed while Blazer literally howled in terror. "WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

At some point in time, Kaito let go of the collar and we shot into the lake like a meteor shower. To be honest, I was really glad to wash some sweat off before meeting everyone at the finish line. The two other guys were nowhere to be seen until we came ashore. One was pumping his fists in front of a group of his friends while the other one was trying to flirt with Hikari. The guy was putting on his best smile and held up his biceps for her display. I laughed inwardly when I realized that she wasn't even paying attention to the guy. He eyes were scanning the riverbank in fierce concentration. Once she located us jogging to the finish line, she trotted up to meet with us. As soon as we crossed the finish line, all four of us collapsed from exhaustion.

"That was no biggie," I breathed as she looked us over.

"Are you guys okay?" Hikari asked with a hint of concern in her eyes.

Kaito chuckled and picked himself up. "No, we're just being overly dramatic."

She continued, "You all took some pretty nasty falls."

Ken was obviously alright since his response was, "Yeah, it hurts right here!" He pointed towards his lips in a humorous manner.

Hikari rolled her eyes but soften when Blazer brought his collar to her and wagged his tail in an attempt to make her take pity on him. She complied and fastened his collar back on. After which, Hikari began to rub the back of his ears. Yep, she pitied the dog… probably for having an owner like Ken.

"Participants in line!" A booming voice echoed. The other two guys, Ken, Blazer, Kaito, and I scrambled into a quick line standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the direction of the voice. Daichi-sensei entered into the fray, silencing everyone.

He stood in front of me with a stiff expression. Oh boy, I had forgotten about the whole "no team" idea and now he was going to send us off the clean the urinals for a week. "Kaito, Ryuu, Kenshin!"

"Sir," we all replied at once.

"I strictly said you were not put into teams just yet." Yep, here comes the punishment.

"However, the three of you and the dog did just that." Could it be urinals or laundry?

"In a time of desperation we all do things we don't plan on doing." Hmmm, I hope it's just laundry duty.

"Good job." Laundry, laundry, what?!

"Nice work on the zip-line, too. You're welcome to hit the showers or hang out and watch these other numskulls puke their breakfast." Diachi sensei-even wore a smile in front of us. Talk about mixed messages.

He then turned his attention to the other guys and his aura suddenly went dry. "I don't appreciate the act of sabotage during my class! Go find those cloth strips you dumped and don't comeback until you've found every single one of them." The two said boys muttered something inaudible and begrudgingly headed towards the trees. Once they were gone Daichi-sensei said, "Since there are no cloth strips along the zip line, I implore the rest of you ducklings to improvise like these boys!"

In a brisk manner, the imposing figure before me twisted around and barked, "Uchiha! Yoshido! Matsuro! Watanabe! Handa! On the line!" Hikari, Emi, and some other people rushed to the said location.

"Good luck!" I said to Hikari.

"RUNNERS ON YOUR MARK! GET SET! GO!"

Hikari took off with immense speed, leaving everyone in the dust.

"GO HIKARI!" Ken and I yelled for our friend.

If she heard us, then she didn't show any sign of response. I watched her dark purple ponytail until it disappeared over the cliff.

"I don't think she likes me," Kaito said aloud.

"It takes her awhile to get used to someone," I said. "For you, maybe a week or two."

Kaito seemed to disagree but didn't press the subject any further. Instead, he brought up a new one. "So, should we call it a day or hang around for a bit?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ken retorted. "There's a ton of girls out here and you want to go shower? I don't know what's going through your head, man, but I'm staying."

"Dude, maybe he has a point," I interrupted. "I mean, do you honestly want some chick to think you smell terrible and walk away the minute you say 'hi'?"

Ken's cocky expression dropped immediately. "Oh. That is a good point." He nodded as if to physically show us his response.

"Let's catch our breaths first," I suggested. The two nodded and we began watching the race below the cliff.

Hikari had just touched the ground and sped towards the tires like the impact hadn't affected her. Two others somersaulted to the ground and chased after her. One had just caught onto a rope while another landed but fell back down. I was disappointed that no one else had experienced an epic fail like I did.

Ken saw the girl that had lost her balance and cried, "FAIL!"

I turned to him and retorted, "Yes, but we had an EPIC FAIL."

The both of us laughed whole-heartedly as a figure came upon us. "Are any of you hurt?" A calm voice asked. I looked up to find the school nurse hovering over me and inspecting my scratches like they were mutating into octopus tentacles.

"Well, it doesn't hurt now," I replied. The older woman turned to Ken and Kaito but they shook their heads, too. She rolled her eyes, pulled out some disinfectant, and sprayed us.

"ACHHH!"

"Now it hurts!" Kaito piped as the acidic solution contacted his skin.

"It's clean, that's what matters," the nurse mumbled and pulled out some gauze.

"What's with the bandages?" I asked.

She gave me a look and replied, "Have you seen your left arm?"

Instantly, I looked at my forearm; a few scratches decorated my skin, but nothing too serious. The nurse huffed and made my forearm bend towards my chest, revealing the outer arm and my elbow. "OH MY GOD!" I yelped at the site of a tremendous gash that had formed just after my elbow.

"When did that happen?" Kaito asked.

"I don't know."

Ken commented, "That's nasty."

After I got sprayed again and bandaged, we turned our attention back to the race. Amazingly Hikari cleared the tires effortlessly. She didn't disappoint dodging the nets either. A brunette guy behind her started to increase his speed. His strides became longer and when he lunged at the monkey bars, he managed to take them two at a time.

As I watched I tapped Kenshin on the shoulder and indicated towards the guy advancing on Hikari. "Hey, isn't that Benjirou?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. He's in our class, man. Good guy."

"How do you know him?"

"He was in our class for a semester last year, remember?"

"Yeah, it's coming back to me. Why for only a semester?"

"I think the counselor messed up his schedule and couldn't correct it until then."

"Oh, that explains it."

We watched as Benjirou Watanabe caught up to Hikari but after she glanced his way, he fell back. He must have been out of breath after the monkey bars and jumping from platform to platform. I didn't blame him; the platforms weren't positioned very close together and it took some serious calf muscles to propel oneself up there. Once Hikari reached the top of the ladder, she didn't pause to think about something to use on the zip line. Instead, she peeled off one of her socks, folded it twice, and launched herself down the zip line.

"Wow," Kaito gasped. "She makes this obstacle course from hell look easy."

"Yeah," Kenshin agreed.

I piped up with, "I wonder what people where thinking when they saw us out there testing the course."

A throaty laugh echoed around the three of us as Daichi-sensei approached. He must have overheard us. "You boys would've made headlines if Ryuunoha newspaper sent a reporter here. HAHA!"

"Uhh, Thank you, sensei?" I replied. And just as quickly as he came, our gym instructor walked away, scribbling some notes on a clipboard.

I turned back to the scene only to find Hikari reaching the shoreline. Though she moved through the course with ease, I could tell she was only human, just like the rest of us. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion and her breathing was quick and shallow. After crossing the finishing line a nurse looked her over until she deemed the Uchiha unscathed.

"Good work, Uchiha! Hit the showers!" Daichi-sensei hollered from his clipboard.

Kaito, Kenshin, Blazer, and I congratulated her as she wrung out her dripping ponytail. Holding up one arm and a giant smile, I high-fived her. She gave a small smile back and put out the slightest chuckle when Kenshin pulled her into a friendly bear hug. As soon as he was done, a mass of people crowded around us congratulating the girl; her expression went back into its usual indifference. I almost forgot how many fans Hikari had, though she never let the popularity get through her head. Honestly, she never showed any kind of amusement whenever total strangers crowded her as if they were her friends. Once, when we were about twelve years old, she had made it clear to us that we were her friends, not the crowd that clustered around her. Like a snake, Hikari managed to slip away from the crowd and head off towards the girls' locker room.

After the confusion, Benjirou crossed the finish line and we ran up to him. Kenshin greeted the guy with a friendly high five. He asked, "Hey Ben, what happened out there?"

"Yeah, you almost caught up to Hikari," I added.

Benjirou shrugged, "I don't really know. For one, I did get tired. She was pretty fast."

Ken chuckled at this and patted Watanbe's shoulder as we walked towards the locker room. "Aww, did she bat her pretty lashes at you?"

He stopped and contemplated this. "You know, I honestly don't remember. She just glanced at me to see who I was and then I just froze up. Well, not really freeze, I slowed down."

"You crushing on her?"

"Who isn't?! She's hot," Benjirou laughed. "It's not like I don't appreciate a glance every now and then from a pretty chick."

Kenshin threw his head back, snickering. "HAHAHAHA! I know what you mean."

"Wait, are any of you guys dating her, yet?"

At this very moment, I tripped on my own shoelace. "WAHH!" And then I was down for the count. Instantly, I spit grass out of my mouth, received some snide comments, and answered, "Why would you think that?"

The brunette shrugged, "Ryuu, you and Ken have known her for so long. I figured at least one would grow the balls to ask her out."

I made a face and looked at him as if he just told me the sky was falling. "Dude I've known her since we were babies. She's like my twin sister, man!"

Kenshin shrugged. "Eh, I guess I haven't really put much thought into it."

Kaito stepped into the conversation. "Ken, you flirt with her a lot."

"Nah," I interjected. "He flirts with any skirt that passes him by."

"That I do."

"Well," Watanabe smirked. "Then I guess she's fair game."

"Don't try anything stupid," I sighed.

"Yeah! Rub her the wrong way, and she just might break your arm."

Ben turned around. Playfully, he challenged, "Oh yeah? Keep taunting me, and I'll kick your balls to the moon."

"You can't even catch me," Ken retorted and sped off towards the locker room.

"The money in your pocket says I can!" Watanabe chased after him, leaving me and Kaito to catch up.

My brunette companion laughed at the sight and turned to me. "Wanna race?"

I snickered inwardly as my mischievous side came into play. "Yeah."

"Ready-!"

I threw my arm across his face, pointing into the distance. "Daichi-sensei!"

"What?"

Like lightning, I took off, leaving Kaito in my dust. I looked back to find his jaw dropped in shock. He shook his head and joined the chase.

Kenshin's POV

I tugged at my collar, trying to adjust it. I don't know why, but I could never get it right the first time, especially when I had a tie to put on with it. Blazer stretched out on the tile floor of the boys' locker room, exhausted. Jealousy crept over me. While my dog was free to sleep whenever and wherever he wanted, I still had the rest of school to go through. A sigh escaped from my attempt at self-composure. This had been a long day. From every boring class in the morning to a second hard worRyuuut at noon, every muscle and whatever moved when I walked was sore and stiff. Daichi-sensei had told us that the aches meant that my body worked hard just like a ninja should train. I just hoped that I would get used to it. Of course, I was not the only one in pain. Everywhere I looked, each boy in the room wore the same tired expression and grunted from the pain before sitting down. Inwardly, I chuckled from the fact that even the most menial of tasks was slow and painful after a worRyuuut from hell.

Ryuu was having trouble with his tie as well, but after quite the number of attempts, he got it. When finished he glanced my way and I jerked my head in the direction of the door. He nodded and grabbed his school bag. Blazer blew through his nose in annoyance as he realized where we were going. The one year old puppy picked himself off the floor and trudged after us as we made our way into the cafeteria. Because all schools in Ryuunoha were open-campus, the cafeteria was never over crowded. But, why go out and buy lunch with your own money when your parents put money into a school lunch account and there's hot food waiting for you in the cafeteria? At least, that's what a majority of students think. Again, the cafeteria was never overcrowded.

We sat at the same spot yesterday with everyone there after Ryuu got his steamy bowl of ramen. "Dude, why ramen?"

"Huh?" Ryuu turned his attention to me, a noodle hung from his mouth.

"Of all the things to eat every day, why ramen?"

"Why not?"

"It's so… unhealthy."

"No its not. It's good stuff."

I raised an eyebrow at this as we sat down at the table. Emi glanced up from her meal. "What's good stuff?"

"Ramen!" Ryuu held up his bowl of soup like a toddler holding up his best mudcake of the day.

"Yeah it is!" Emi piped. The cousins high-fived one another.

My mouth dropped. "But every day? Isn't that unhealthy?"

Hikari looked up from a book she had stuck her nose into and defended her implied brother, "It's not that bad."

"It's gotta be bad. How is it not?"

"Think… what's in it?" She said without looking back up.

Snatching Ryuu's bowl away, I looked at the contents. Egg noodle, broth, barbecue beef, steamed veggies, and an egg. "Oh… I guess it's not that bad. Nothing too unhealthy." Blazer lifted his front paws onto my seat to take a look at the bowl as well. His head tilted as if his thoughts coincided with mine.

"Hn." Hikari's gaze was still fixated on the book while she popped a rice sandwich into her mouth.

"What are you reading?" I asked out of curiosity.

"A book."

"I can see that."

No reply came from the Uchiha. Emi turned her head upside down to look at the cover, her pigtail sprawled across the table. "It looks like a textbook… of jutsus!"

"Whoah! Where'd you get that?" I reached for the book to take a peek, but as soon as I got within a centimeter, Hikari jerked away with an annoyed expression in her dark green eyes.

"I don't like people to take my stuff without permission. Pet peeve."

"Whoops. May I see it?"

She complied and spread the book out onto the table. Everyone leaned in as she flipped to a certain page. "This textbook only has ten jutsus, but it also has step by step instructions on hand signs, several taijutsu formations, and some basic genjutsu techniques." She flipped to another page. "This is the jutsu I've been studying for a while," Hikari pointed to a figure kicking the air and producing some fire along its path of travel. "The Wall of Fire."

"Wow," Emi breathed. "I want to learn that one, too!"

Before, Ryuu was inhaling his noodles. At Emi's suggestion, he took a breath from his food and said, "You can only master that skill if your element is fire."

"Oh, darn!" The brunette frowned.

I spoke up, "I had almost forgotten about the element principle. A shinobi has at least one specific element that defines him or her. Some have trained hard enough to draw out the second and third. Didn't the first Hokage managed to combine Earth and Water to create wood?"

Hikari answered, "Yes, but that was very rare. Though, something like combining Water and Wind to make ice is more common and easily attainable."

Kaito hadn't spoken much since he joined our group. I guess he just wanted to fit in first before he made any waves. Despite this reason, I wanted him to feel comfortable. "Hey, Kaito, didn't you say that you were from the Mist village?"

He swallowed the rest of his lunch and blinked. "Uh… yeah."

"Do you know any special jutsus from there?"

Hikari mused silently and fixed her gaze on the new guy. It was strange and also scary how she acted around new people; always tense and analytical like a lion trying to figure out how break open a turtle's shell.

Kaito swallowed again and answered, "Not really. I didn't decide to become a shinobi until a few years ago. I'm not too skilled in the fighting department yet."

"You seem to do fine athletically," Hikari added.

Teru chuckled next to the Uchiha and then composed himself only to add, "I remember you said that you and your mom traveled from place to place. Did you ever live in the Sand Village?"

"Umm… for only a month or so. The sand that constantly filled up my shoes was the thing I remembered the most. For the majority of the time, I stayed indoors. Have you ever been?"

The boy laughed again. "That's my second home. I go there every summer to visit my two uncles. My mom was originally a Sand shinobi, then she got married and moved here."

"Oh, so do you know a lot of people there?"

"Meh, a few."

Emi butted into the conversation, "Oh, don't believe him. He knows everyone!"

We all laughed together and exchanged a few comments. It was too bad the bell rang, signaling the end of fun and the start of art class.

Ryuu's POV

I had my first kiss in art class back at the Academy when I was ten. There was a girl who sat next to me in that class. She always had these huge ideas for a project and since I was never too creative with paper or clay, I chose to be her permanent craft partner. One month we were supposed to create something to be displayed at the spring festival. The girl had hatched an idea to produce a paper-maché cherry blossom tree with simple origami animals decorating the trunk and limbs. To pull my own weight, I designed the basic structure while she corrected the work and detailed every inch of the project. During the last day of work, we were on a tight schedule since several flowers hadn't been painted and even more origami animals needed to be created. My hands were covered in pink paint and glitter was dusted around my face as if someone had sneezed sparkly stuff on me. After we attached the last of the origami sparrows, she rejoiced and pecked me on the lips. I was disgusted and embarrassed at first, but now I'm just glad it was done when I didn't see it coming. That way, I don't have to stare at the ground whenever someone asks me whether I've had my first kiss or not. Though, I still feel bad about the fact that I couldn't even remember her name since she moved.

In the Sanin Academy, things are different. Art class serves a more psychological purpose, or so my dad said. About a decade ago, the school board believed that many shinobi were traumatized at a young age due to lack of a happy childhood. I wonder how they ever thought of that. To combat this "crisis," the board established an art program with numerous experts in which a student's artwork would be critiqued by a psychiatrist who just happens to understand a thing or two about the world of art.

Despite this somewhat purposeful change in curriculum, I find a lot of difficulty in actually succeeding in this class. For one, the instructor never tells us the reason for making a project or the theme that we have to use. The only rule is use a certain method for each project like painting with sumi-e brushes on paper or rolling pieces of wet clay. When finished, each student must have a discussion with the instructor for constructive criticism.

For the first week of school, Ayaka-sensei instructed us to make a self-portrait using pencil and paper. Mirrors glittered among the black tables as students studied their reflections. One could laugh all day when seeing the faces some people make when trying to copy images to paper. As usual, I started off with a squiggly circle, erased it, drew another one, and repeated until I got an acceptable geometric shape. Obviously, I had a neck and shoulders, so I automatically drew those into the medium.

Now came the tricky part: eyes. More than once have I actually drawn a pair of decent eyes, but a ninja is an athlete not an artist. When two charming charcoal orbs appear on a finished product, it means that I spent nearly an hour for each one. But this product rarely comes to existence due to the fact that I easily become impatient with my work. To speed up the process for today, I took a peek at Hikari's work.

"Woah, how did you do that?" I inquired. The female Uchiha had expertly carved two eyes and was erasing some stray marks that dotted the figures.

She raised an eyebrow. "With a pencil."

"Can you do mine?"

"No, but I can show you." Hikari pulled out a piece of scratch paper and created two horizontal lines. As soon as she completed the basic shape of both eyes, my internal light bulb turned on.

"Oh! I see what you did there. Thanks," I said and went back to my own paper. The two lines were drawn lightly in order to serve as guidelines. This made both eyes the same size. To myself, I asked why I couldn't ever think of this. But then again, I usually put my attention elsewhere whenever Ayaka-sensei starts lecturing about technique. When at last, I created the basic eye shape, the final bell rang.

"Finally," Hikari muttered under her breath and quickly put her supplies away. I scrambled to get everything put up. Apparently, I had been one messy artist because my portion of the table was covered in eraser marks. In a quick manner, I blew them all away as if an invisible tsunami swept away the debris. She was already waiting for me at the door. Together we pushed through the halls until we broke sunlight.

Apparently, we were the first of our friends to emerge from school, so we waited near the usual tree. "I hate art." Hikari murmured.

I turned to her. "I'm gonna go on a limb here and ask. Why?"

"It's useless, and no matter how much I do, I can never seem to get a perfect score."

"Believe it!" I shouted. "Last year I stayed afterschool to work on several projects but ended up getting even more work that has to be done. Shinobi are athletes, not wimpy artists."

"Excuse me?" A voice challenged from behind.

We froze in place for only a moment before turning around in slow motion. Perched on a low tree branch that we had been leaning against, was none other than one of my father's best men; Sai.

I stuttered for an escape route. "Uhh…. what I meant was that I am not an artist like yourself. I… I could not possibly create such uh… such awe-inspiring pieces of work that are also so fierce in battle. I mean, there's no way I can make my pieces come to life and-"

"Alright, I forgive you, Ryuu. Relax. I just dropped by to say hi. So… hi."

"Hello, Sai-sensei," Hikari greeted.

"Oh… hi Sai-sensei," I repeated. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you've seen one of my students lately." Sai-sensei inquired. I had nearly forgotten that he was given a squad to teach a couple years ago.

"Which one?"

"Jun."

"Uh, sorry. I haven't seen him. But I hear he's been hanging out at the library recently."

"Hmm," Sai tapped his chin. "He's not the bookish type. I wonder…"

And without another word or gesture, Sai disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

I turned to Hikari, "I want to learn how to do that."

"HIIII!" A voice cracked. I jumped and nearly knocked myself out on the low tree limb. The rough bark dug into my forehead and a little bit of blood dripped but stopped, a shallow scrape. "Oh my gosh, Ryuu. I'm so sorry." Emi's voice turned back to a normal tone. She spun me around to get a good look at my forehead and I winced when my cousin tried to wipe off more of the bark. I swatted her hand away to stop the burning and was relieved when she complied.

Turning to her next victim, she started at Hikari, "So, word on the street is that Daichi-sensei will hold hand to hand combat matches tomorrow."

Hikari glanced at me and smirked. Instantly, I felt pumped. "There's finally some real action around here!" I shouted.

* * *

**Next chapter is up whenever I have the chance. Please have patience with me as I currently have my plate full... a bad habit. **

**Tell me if anything needs work: Character Development, Detail, Syntax, Plot, etc.**

**PLEASE CRITIQUE ME!**


	3. THE THIRD DAY

**Alrighty, third chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Inspiration: self defense video I saw on youtube, which I also don't own. **

**Please let me know if some points are weak, and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The 3rd day

Ryuu's POV

"Ryuu! Ryuu, wake up!"

I felt a forceful push against my side and my ears rang like a telephone as my mother's voice reinforced her previous commands. "Get up, now!" Her thin fingers flipped the comforter over and with her index finger and thumb, she pinched my arm. I rolled over to avoid another throb of pain, groaning from muscle soreness. I couldn't talk for a couple seconds due to the exhaustion I was suffering at the hands of Daichi-sensei, so I gave a confused look as to why my mother was waking me up when I already had an alarm clock.

Mom waved a pale hand over the clock that strangely wasn't turned on. "The power's out for now," she explained.

My voice came back to me just in time to sleepily ask, "Why?"

"Did you not hear the storm last night?"

"There was a storm?"

Mom wrenched the curtains open to display my usual view of Konoha. Instead of seeing the morning sun, my window was covered in ripples of running water as if someone held a hose over the outside of the window. A streak of lightning slashed across the sky and the sound of distant thunder rumbled throughout the house.

"It's been going on since midnight, but there's still power at the school so get dressed." Mom exited my room.

Lazily, I dragged myself out of bed. Unfortunately, I forgot about the fluffy comforter that my mom had thrown off. THWAP! Despite the fact that I had tripped not five seconds after getting out of bed, I landed on a good portion of the comforter. Oh, how soft it was since it still carried some warmth. The comforter was like a cloud. If not for my mom's reentrance into the room, I would have fallen asleep again.

"Ryuu, get up!" She screamed. It wasn't until I trudged into my bathroom that she left. Of course, I've never taken much time in the bathroom. A quick brush of my teeth and wash was all I needed.

After some cereal, Hikari dropped by. When I took a glimpse at her, I laughed, "Have you decided to become a ballerina?" The female Uchiha glared at me. Instead of showing off her long locks like she normally did, she had pulled her dark hair into a bun but kept out some strands to frame her face. "Hey, if you had some glasses, I think you would make a great librarian." She nearly jabbed my forehead with her plain black umbrella by tilting it forward in a quick motion like that of a whip.

I picked up my own umbrella and together, we avoided as many puddles as possible on our way to the Academy. The air temperature wasn't cold, but I definitely didn't want to find out the water rounded the corner to find a group of people huddled in a circle. They were standing next to a pole that supported the electrical wires for the hokage building, pointing at something in the middle. I tapped a man in a firefighter uniform on the shoulder. "Sir, what's going on? Was there an accident?"

The burly man glanced up at the wires and then back down at the ground. "Nope, but we had one fatality." He moved aside and pointed to the middle of the circle. A very crispy squirrel lay in the rain next to a thick, chewed out electrical wire.

"So that's why the electricity is out," I remarked.

"Yep," the fireman agreed. "Don't know how or why that critter would eat that thick of a wire, but it happened." He chuckled. "Don't see this every day."

I laughed in astonishment, "Yeah, what are the odds? Well, we better get going, Hikari. Bye, sir."

Several students were already scrambling to get under the school's roof. A few splashed by in an attempt to avoid the raindrops without using an umbrella. Hikari cursed under her breath when someone nearly sent a wave of rainwater too close to her knee high socks. Luckily, she leapt out of the way and avoided the water. In an attempt to smooth the circumstances, I started a conversation, "So, today is about hand to hand combat?"

She immediately turned her attention to the topic at hand. "Yes, are you nervous?"

I grinned. "Nope! I've been practicing all summer long."

"Good. Today is going to be exciting."

"How many people do you think we will fight?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe as much as class time permits."

"I wonder if anyone else has practiced a lot."

"Probably."

"Yeah, but do you think anyone is going to be a big challenge?"

She gave me a wicked smirk and we burst into laughter. Upon entering the school grounds, we found our usual group huddled together with their umbrellas high in order to avoid poking at each other. Blazer barked excitedly and ran to greet us before anyone else. The wolf-like puppy circled us and sniffed at our ankles. I leaned down to scratch his wet ear, causing his tail to erupt in a whirlwind happiness. Once Hikari and I joined the group, all of us began discussing the combat skills we learned over the summer.

"I've taught Blazer a whole lot of skills. There's no way we can lose any of our matches!" Kenshin shouted pompously.

"Oh? I've been training with my older brother and I nearly beat him!" Emi contested.

I couldn't help myself. "Ha! You guys haven't even seen my mad skills! I trained with my dad!"

"Hn, you're not the only one with a powerful dad," Hikari chuckled.

"Hey, Kaito," I asked. "What kind of skill sets do you have?"

Kaito drew a blank face. He literally looked like a deer in head lights. Hikari zoned in on him instantly but didn't say anything.

"Well..." he scratched the back of his head, "I learned a few tai jutsu moves, but it's nothing special."

Ken and I put our arms around his shoulders. "Don't worry, you'll probably do great," I said to the brunette boy. Ken nodded in agreement. "You'll be fine."

"Hey guys!" a voice echoed from the side.

"Teru!" Emi cried. Come on over!"

"Guess who's here?" He did a little dance and turned to the side to reveal none other than his twin brother, Tetsu. I always thought it was so cool that the Nara brothers could do that trick. It was almost like the shadow clone jutsu without the smoke

"Tetsu!" We all screamed and ran over to hug him.

"You're two days late for school," Hikari teased and hugged him.

"Hey man, what's up?" Kenko fist pumped the returning twin.

"The last piece to us is back!" Emi squealed.

I was confused. "But, we all thought you were spending the semester in the Sand."

"I wanted to transfer back since this is the year we get our teams assigned. Suna is nice and all but I want to fight for Konoha!"

"In that case, welcome back!"

Tetsu thanked us all while receiving an extra round of hugs. He was definitely happy to be back. "Uh, you must be new," he said to Kaito.

"Ahem," Kaito cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Yeah, I just moved to Konoha this year."

Immediately, I introduced the two to each other. "Tetsu, this is Kaito. We met him on the first day of school. He's cool. Kaito, this is our good friend, Tetsu, Teru's twin brother."

"Nice to meet you," they both shook hands.

We entered the school together and ran into our greatest enemies. A group of five kids, our age, stared us down from across the hall. It was kind of strange how each person in the gang had a bone to pick with a separate individual of our group. They called themselves the Shadows. Suzume proclaimed herself as Hikari's rival, Hoshi absolutely hated dogs, Aina bitterly opposed Emi, and Tarou has a bone to pick with the Nara brothers. Zan, the leader of the Black Shadows snickered as he approached us. "Well, look at what the rain washed in, a couple of rich noble brats!"

"Oh boy, I sure didn't miss this," Tetsu muttered.

Blazer growled angrily. He stood in front of me while the rest of his lackeys placed themselves in front of my friends. "Oh, what's this? Did you hire a new recruit for your lame squad?" Zan pointed a finger at Kaito. The poor guy was so confused that he didn't know how to respond.

"We just need to get to class, Zan." I stated.

He chuckled. "What a nerd!"

"At least he's not the one who's failing," Hikari retorted.

The girl on Zan's left scowled, "Who said you could talk, scumbag?" She was almost as scary as Hikari herself, but definitely no match for an Uchiha.

My best friend whirled on her opponent and demanded in a commanding tone, "We're not asking. Move."

"Think you're all so tough, huh?" Zan sneered along with his four companions.

Emi piped up, "Correction, we_ know_ we're tough."

Kenshin chimed in as well. "Unless you want us to demonstrate. We can arrange that."

The girl from before, Suzume, laughed and went back to Hikari, "You know I've always hated how arrogant you rich clan members can be, Uchiha. But now, I actually have another reason to break that pretty little nose of yours!"

She reached out for my friend, but Hikari was too quick. As Suzume's hand came within an inch of her, Hikari used her speed to slap the arm away, grab the girl's neck, and slam her against the lockers. Suzume hung several centimeters off the ground. Blazer began barking loudly and more aggressively when out of nowhere, Zan put me in a choke hold with lightning speed. Dang, I should have kept my eyes on him. Emi, Ken, Teru, and Tetsu tensed up, ready to jump into action if it weren't for a teacher passing by.

"Hey, stop that! Let go of him! Let go of her! I will give detentions if you don't do as I say!" The teacher scolded. For a while, no one backed down. It wasn't until Hikari and Zan let go at the same time that everyone relaxed. "Good." The teacher huffed. "If you truly feel this way for each other, then you can settle it in gym class today." With that, the unknown teacher left the scene. It was then that I noticed everyone in the entire hallway was watching our standoff.

"See you in gym class," Zan huffed and stormed away, the rest of the Shadow members following his lead, including an angered Suzume who was massaging her neck. With his exit, everyone else in the hallway began heading into their classes.

"Nice move, Hikari," Emi congratulated and then turned to me, "Um, sorry you got into a bad situation. We should've have known Zan would pull something like that, especially when one of us proves to have the upper hand."

I waved a hand in midair, "It's not your fault. I wasn't paying attention. Let's just get to class before we're counted late." The five of us, along with the dog, entered our classroom and took our usual seats. As Iruka-sensei's lecture over the summer novel began, I noticed that Kaito still seemed freaked out. "Hey, are you okay?"

He took a breath. "Uh… yeah. I just wasn't expecting there to be some gang rivalry."

Leaning over the table, Hikari huffed, "We are not a gang. The definition of a gang is a group of misfits who engage in criminal and drug-related activity. We do not associate ourselves in either of those."

"I… didn't really say we were a gang."

"You implied it."

"…Oh," was all Kaito could say. He looked down at the table in deep thought. After a while, he asked me, "So why do Zan and those other kids have such a huge grudge against you all?"

I leaned forward in my chair, keeping my voice in a hushed tone so as not to disrupt Iruka-sensei's lecture. "Well, it all started a couple years ago-"

"UZUMAKI!" I jumped at the sound of an enraged teacher. "Do you have something to contribute to my lecture?"

"N-No, sir," I stammered. Darn, I thought I was being quiet.

"Then please pay attention to this. It just might be on your next test. And start taking notes!" Iruka-sensei's voice went back to a normal level and continued on with the lecture.

As I pulled out some paper and a pencil, I whispered to Kaito, "I'll tell you at lunch." Surprisingly, I enjoyed listening to Iruka-sensei. His lecture was actually over the morals that Jiraya's book discussed. My notes weren't too bad either considering I was notorious for writing all the useless stuff down. Maybe it was because this was the first book that I actually liked.

"In retrospect, a ninja should always see that the mission succeeds no matter the consequences," Sensei spoke. "But the author wrote a situation in which this code was broken. Benjirou, what do you think Jiraiya was trying to say?"

A red faced Benjirou flung his head off his desk, sending his pencil to the ground. He made no move to retrieve it as he answered in an embarrassed tone, "Uh… well… I think Jiraiya was… basically, he tried to say that uh… a shinobi should know that everything has a consequence. You follow the rules by the book, you can lose your best friend. You jeopardize the mission, and you could be shunned by all… I think." He rubbed the back of his head, hoping his answer would suffice.

Sensei laughed lightly and smiled. "That's a good guess. But it wasn't what I was looking for. Kaito, I haven't called on you in a while. What's your take on this?"

Ryuu cleared his throat in surprise. "Can you repeat the question, Sensei?"

"What was Jiraiya trying to say about the shinobi guidelines when his best friend was taken hostage by the ultimate enemy?"

"Hmm, wasn't he saying that a true shinobi should be able to protect those around him? And that those who prioritize things higher than their comrades in battle are actually bad shinobi?"

"Yes, you're on the mark," a delighted Iruka-sensei smiled even wider. He turned to the chalkboard and began filling in a chart. "A shinobi should be able to carry out a mission in a proper manner. However, he should be loyal to his comrades at all costs. This characteristic is highly valuable, especially in times of desperation. Only those that have this quality will find a way to rescue teammates and complete the current mission; a truly powerful warrior." Iruka-sensei began making bullet points, emphasizing the importance of each. "Trust," he said and wrote it down in white chalk. "Honor," he wrote it down as well. "Valor-"

"What's valor?"

"Who said that?!" Iruka-sensei whirled around and searched the sea of students. A hand slowly made its way into the air. The teacher's face soon soured. "Watari! Did you just ask me that?"

"...Yes, sir... What does valor mean?"

I laughed as quietly as I could and from the corner of my eye, I could see Hikari snickering against the window.

Iruka sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Valor is another word for bravery." He looked like he wanted to chew out the guy for even asking such a stupid question, but decided against it and went on with his chart. "Trust, Honor, Valor, Strength, Nobility, and Wisdom. These are the most important components of being a true shinobi. Of course, there are other qualities that make a shinobi, but these are the most basic and again, the most important."

Wow, I thought to myself. I can do all that. One day, I'll defeat all my opponents in an epic battle between good and evil. I can just imagine myself with a whole big load of jutsus that could tear down trees. There will be long and hard battle between me and five guys, no, fifty rogue ninjas, each with horrifying weapons, sharpened and tipped with highly toxic poison. No one would be able to stand a chance except for me while the fate of the Leaf village rested in my hands. My friends would be captured by the enemy, and by sneaking up on the band of rogue ninjas, I would free them all at once with a single kunai tipped with chakra to break their chains. A rogue would alert the others and all five, wait fifty, no five thousand ninjas would surround us. I'll tell my comrades to run to safety and hold off the enemy. Then, the epic battle will ensue! At first, a few will circle me, thinking I won't stand a chance, but with just a few punches, they'll fall to the ground. All the others will break loose, coming at me all at once. Punch! Kick! Throw! The battle will take a few hours but in the end, I shall emerge victorious. I'll pile each and every one of those rouges into a huge pile and stand on top of them when the villagers come to see their fate. With a jump and a triple flip, I will land perfectly on the ground as the entire village will rejoice and make a holiday for me and some pretty girl in a fancy kimono will walk right up to me and-

"Ryuu!"

"Trust! Honor! Valor!" I shouted as fast as I could.

"Ryuu!"

"What?"

"What are doing?"

"Uh, I don't know."

Emi sighed in frustration. "Stop daydreaming. We'll be late for gym."

"Oh, let's go!"

X

X

X

Daichi-sensei was particularly enthusiastic today. Of course, he didn't show it as much as all the students at the Academy. Traditionally, the principal allowed the whole school to watch the first combat challenges of the school year, and today was no exception. Once we entered the gym, I saw hundreds of students packed into the stands in the gym, all chatting and betting on who will win each match. Just a single burst of vocal energy from Daichi could subdue the noise of the crowd.

"SILENCE!" The whole gym held its breath. A pin could be dropped and heard. "I will only say this once." Even though he wasn't necessarily screaming, Daichi was still loud enough for even the audience to hear. "Listen up! I'm only going to say this once." He picked up a fancy looking ceramic jar. "Each of your names is in here at least three times. When I call your name, step up and pick a name. This means that you will get to fight more than once. Once a person has performed three times, he or she will stop for the rest of the time period and report after school for the last match. Yes, this means that you all will show up after school, so don't take too long to make yourself pretty in the locker rooms." He handed the jar to another teacher and folded his hands behind his back. "The rules are simple: absolutely no jutsu usage! If you hold up a hand sign and say a quick verse, I will personally stop the match and will make a note of it on your profile. Trust me, nothing is worse than a shinobi who can't follow rules. Also, no hitting below the belt or hair pulling. This is a respectable school. Let's keep it that way. One more thing." Daichi stepped back to the judges' table, pointing to an ordinary timer. "We don't have all day in the gym, so you will be timed for five minutes. Should be enough time, but if you can't defeat your opponent within the time limit then the fight will end automatically in a tie. Note: there won't be any tiebreakers. I should also mention that defeating your opponent means that you will be able to either tire them out or lock them in a position for five seconds. Any questions?"

Since no one raised their hand, three teachers sat at the judges' table and Daichi-sensei instructed us to sit along the perimeter of the performance mat. The thatched mat was fairly large considering the fact that only two people would occupy it, but no one pretended to notice. I sat between Hikari and Kaito again while Emi plopped down next to him and Ken was next to Hikari. As usual, the twins sat together and next to Kenshin.

Daichi-sensei's overpowering voice echoed through the gym, "Your names will not be called in alphabetical order." He held a separate jar, smaller than the first, and with his muscular arm, he reached in to pull out the first soul. He cleared his throat before announcing the first contestant, "Yoshida Zan!"

A proud Zan rose from the opposite side of the mat and sauntered over to the first jar. Bravely, he thrust a hand into the golden mouth and pulled out a small piece of folded paper. Opening the paper, he smiled wickedly. I held my breath, hoping I wasn't the first to fight such a foe.

"Well," Daichi started impatiently, "read it aloud."

Zan's evil grin grew even wider as his eyes scanned the audience for a particular person. He called some kid's name and I let out my breath all at once.

"Thank Kami," I breathed quietly. Hikari stole a quick glance my way and back to the scene before us.

A smaller guy made his way to the center of the mat. I almost felt sorry for him. Just by looking at the two, a toddler could guess who would win. The underdog was seriously underweight and shaking from nervousness. He definitely wasn't the type to start a fight, but rather run from one. A few cheers erupted from the audience but it was mostly quiet as the two bowed their heads to each other, a common practice before fighters engaged in a match.

They waited for Daichi's signal. The intimidating shinobi immediately shouted, "FIGHT!"

Zan didn't even let his opponent touch him as he pulled the first punch to the face. The underdog stumbled but did not fall until Zan dropped to ground and kicked him off the ground. He toppled over but managed to block a fan kick. The audience roared with his minor accomplishment but quickly fell silent as Zan delivered another blow, this time to the chest. Underdog tried to stand up but could not keep up with Zan's barrage of punches. After a few blows to the head, the smaller opponent went limp, a knockout.

Daichi-sensei held up Zan's right arm. "We have a winner!" The pleased victor sneered at the crowd and made eye contact with me as if to say, "You're next." Two teachers picked up the underdog and left the gym to take him to the nurse's station.

"What a jerk," Kaito remarked in a hushed tone. "He knew that kid was completely out of his league and yet Zan pummeled him into a pulp."

I turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, that's Zan alright. He could have just held him down for five seconds, but Zan likes to draw blood every chance he gets." Another match started, but we kept talking quietly.

"So that's why you hate him."

"It's one of the reasons."

"How long do these matches usually last?"

"Hmm? Oh, about two to three minutes. But if opponents are evenly matched, then it can go on for quite some time. Are you nervous?"

"I'm about to die here." Kaito said through gritted teeth. "I've never fought anyone before in a real match."

I turned my head towards the dark haired boy. "Never?"

"Never."

"Wow. How do you train?"

Kaito swallowed, searching for words. "Uhh… not with a partner. It's complicated."

I wondered if Hikari heard that part. If she did, she did not show.

"Benjirou Watanabe!" Our gym teacher called.

The said boy stood up, walked over to the golden jar, stuck his hand inside, and pulled out a name. "Uzumaki Ryuu," he announced.

"Tire him out. He's somewhat fast but has low stamina," Hikari whispered. "Good luck."

Taking a deep breath, I did my best not to trip my way to the center. Benjirou was a nice guy, but he was also a worthy opponent. He usually kicked my butt when we would spar as little kids. We bowed and wished each other luck.

"FIGHT!"

Benjirou started with a roundhouse kick that sent me flying across the floor. I hit the ground, the breath knocked out of me. "Oof!" Benjirou didn't waste time as he tried to kick again. I rolled. He kicked. I rolled again. He kicked again.

"Stop moving!" he hissed, kicking over and over.

I would have laughed at our performance if it wasn't an official match. Finally, I broke the pattern by rolling back the way I came and nearly got my nose smashed by Benjirou's heel if it were not for a split second that had made the difference. Using the new motion to my advantage, I jammed my elbow into his toe and pulled my leg to a ninety degree angle to kick the back of his knee as hard as I could. He fell forward. This was my chance to get back up, so I did. Groaning, Benjirou managed to get up too and began throwing a series punches as fast as he could. Right, left, right, left, right, left, right. If he caught me in any of those, I would have been knocked out on contact. With every fist hurled at me, I drew in a panicked breath. It wasn't easy at all, but I succeeded in dodging each one. I was backing up while he pursued. Finally, I noticed his breaths becoming heavier. His punches were slowing down as he lost power. "Get back here," he huffed. I swerved under his extended arm and chopped at the back of his knee again. He buckled and fell to the ground. Immediately, he pushed off, using his legs, but he was so tired that one leg came back down. He barely managed to hold one knee up with his opposite a hand on the ground for support. The timer buzzed. Benjirou was still breathing heavily, but he still made eye contact with me and nodded at his defeat.

"Ryuu Uzumaki is the winner!" Daichi-sensei held up my arm then sent the both of us back to our seats.

Kaito and Kenshin high-fived me as I sat down. "Dude," Kenshin chuckled. "You were so lucky!"

"Yeah," Kaito added. "You were awesome."

Hikari beamed at me and held up an open palm. In an exaggerated motion, I high-fived her as a satisfactory smile appeared upon my face. I won against Benjirou Watanabe. Hah, I had definitely improved this summer.

X

X

X

The rest of the matches were stunning to watch. Hikari won every single time she took the floor without even using her sharingan, Kenshin and Blazer beat down every foe they faced, and Emi put all her opponents to shame. Though Teru and Tetsu had to fight individually, they performed well, each one only losing once. Even though I tied once, my own two wins filled me to the brim with happiness. I had worked all summer long for this day.

However, Kaito wasn't much of a fighter and we could tell. Though he proved his athleticism the last two days, he had trouble on the mat. The new guy was most certainly not lying when he had told me that he never fought a person before. A few blows were all he could deal at an opponent before that person got the better of him. Needless to say, he didn't win any matches.

"Aww, how am I ever going to be a shinobi if I can't even fight?" Kaito put his head in his hands. He hadn't eaten any of his udon despite the energy all of us had put out.

"Hey, don't worry," I responded. "You've got one more match after school today. You can still prove yourself. And even if you don't win, you'll still be put onto a team." Under the table, Blazer maneuvered through my legs to reach Kaito. The wolf pup wasn't very tall yet, so he stood up on his hind legs and placed his both his paws and his head on Kaito's knee.

"Yeah, don't worry about," Emi added. "Um, Hikari, do you know how the teachers are going to set up the teams?"

The Uchiha set down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Three people will be on each team. Each person within the team will complement another. For example, a person who's very athletic but isn't very smart will have a teammate that handles mental challenges more successfully and probably has a physical weakness. There are many ways for people to complement each other, so it's uncertain as to how who will team up with who."

Kenshin patted Kaito's back. "So you'll probably be with some guy who can't even run a single kilometer but can fight for you. You'll be okay."

"The only way you can go, Kaito, is up," I added.

"I don't know, guys," he said while picking his head back up. "I'm not as good as the rest of you."

I noticed Hikari didn't say any direct words to Kaito. She just watched him push his noodles around, thinking deeply about something. What was it about Kaito that made her so judgmental? After a few awkward minutes, Emi changed the subject.

"So, how do you think the final matches are going to be? I for one, cannot wait any longer."

"You got that right," Kenshin jumped. "Class can't go by fast enough!"

I chuckled, "This whole week can't go by fast enough." The whole table burst into laughter.

Suddenly, the atmosphere thickened and I felt a presence behind me. Hikari's expression changed from deep thinking to absolute seriousness. Emi no longer smiled and Blazer came out from under table, growling. Slowly, I turned around only to find Zan and the rest of the so-called Shadows.

"Well, well, well," Zan sneered. "It's too bad we didn't face each other on the mat, Ryuu. I was really looking forward to a showdown, hmm?"

"Zan," I started. "We've fought so many times. What difference does this one make?"

The said boy began chuckling, "Because this time, we'll have a bigger audience! I can wipe the floor with your face right in front of everyone. And no one will rescue you."

From Zan's usual side, Suzune chirped her maniacal song at her usual suspect. "Oh, Hikari! What a pleasure to see you again."

The Uchiha swallowed a bite of her food before replying in an annoyed tone, "I wish I could say the same."

Suzume giggled psychotically, "Well, I just wish we could have had a proper challenge."

"Do you?" Hikari retorted. The air around her became stifling with the tension she emitted. I almost couldn't breathe.

"Of course, we still have time afterschool," Suzume's fake smile never faltered, but her tone changed drastically. "That's when I'll break your face!"

Surprisingly, Hikari shook her head, laughing, "The same girl who I pinned by the throat this morning thinks she can actually touch me! Haha, Honey, you do understand who I am, right?"

At long last, the witch's expression shattered but was quickly replaced with a serious one. "Don't underestimate me, Uchiha! It's people like you who disgust me. I WILL break you."

A sarcastic smile formed on Hikari's face. "And I admire you so much for your efforts… even if you will never catch up to me."

After that response, Suzume reached for my chopstick. Everyone jumped from their seats, ready to attack. Even Kaito was prepared. Zan tried to grab me again, but I knew what was coming and ducked away from his merciless hands. Blazer leapt out from under the table, poised to strike.

Seeing that he didn't have any hold on me, Zan waved his hand in a nonchalant way. "Let's postpone this. I'm sure it will be better afterschool." And with that, the Shadows walked off as if they were never here at all.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until Emi reached across the table and pushed on my chest. "Breathe, Ryuu," she demanded. A long exhale came from me followed by a refreshing surge of oxygen back into my head. I thanked her.

"You never answered my question from this morning," Kaito prompted. "What's between you and the Shadows?"

"Oh," I said and finished the rest of my ramen. Everyone else was settled down and also listened, ready to add any details I forgot. "A long time ago, some of the villagers came up with this crazy idea that the shinobi clans of the village were getting better treatment than anyone else. This idea started when a man saw an injured Hyuuga being rushed into immediate treatment while his father who had waited all morning to be seen in the hospital. I'm not sure how, but the story was stretched out by a few people and many civilians rallied together to protest in front of the hospital. Of course, this put on a lot of tension as the weeks past. Eventually, the mob broke out into a riot, lashing out at any ninja they saw. Someone even tried to set fire to the hokage building! Sometimes, the ninjas that weren't from any of the noble clans participated in the bitterness as well. The protesters claimed that the shinobi clans were given more pay and recognition just because of their lineage. These people wanted to liberate the village of such 'prejudices'. Zan's dad was the lead organizer and rallier of this movement. Even Zan participated in some of the events. After about a year, these riots died down, but some people still harbor this sentiment. It took a lot of speeches from the hokage, clan elders, and some very brave civilians and non-clan membered shinobi. Zan still thinks this way and has always resented us even though we hardly knew him until the end of the first Academy."

Kaito was speechless for a moment. His eyebrows raised in disbelief and after his stunned silence, he shook his head and spoke, "That's ridiculous. I've heard of the riots before but I didn't think the hate stuff was still going on."

Teru and Tetsu sighed. "Yeah, well, you learn to get over it. It's not worth the time to think much about." they both said in harmony.

"And it still goes on in schools?" Kaito asked, still in shock.

I answered, "Not really. Most kids just forget about it. The Shadows are the only ones still hating clan members inside the Academy." For a moment, I considered the village itself. "I think, the majority of the villagers have forgotten as well. The mob was always a small group of people, so I guess the issue didn't spread throughout the entire village. I mean, I'm sure people heard of it, like you did, but it wasn't like we had to cover our faces in the streets. No one really said anything bad to me."

"So, it's just a small group of people who hate you guys and the Shadows are a part of that group?"

"Yeah."

"Oh…" Kaito nodded. He glanced around the table with sincerity. "Well, I think you guys are cool. I don't think any of you are stuck up like most rich kids."

"Thanks, man," Kenshin and I said together. Everyone at the table smiled at Kaito too, allowing the conversation to fall into more lighthearted subjects.

X

X

X

After the final bell rang, I flung my art supplies into the appropriate places and sprinted towards the locker rooms, ignoring the disgruntled complaints from the art teacher. About half of the other boys were hurrying into their workout clothes as well while the other half changed at a more reluctant pace. One guy complained about his sore arms while another wished he didn't have to spar a tough opponent.

Kenshin and the twins were right on my heels as I rushed into the gym. A few other people and teachers were seated in the stands, ready to watch the final matches. Hikari and Emi emerged from the gym doors later and sat down with us. The procession this time didn't take as long since Daichi-sensei had already explained the rules to us.

"Uchiha Hikari!" he boomed in his drill sergeant voice. Immediately, all the boys in the audience began cheering.

I whispered good luck to the said girl as she smirked and made her way over to draw her opponent's name. Charged from the crowd, she straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and unfolded the piece of paper in her fingers. A cat-like smirk crawled around her lips before she called for her next prey. She said something to herself in a mischievous manner, but I couldn't make out the words.

Instinctively, I leaned over to Kenshin's ear, "What is she saying?"

Using his caning hearing the boy answered, "I think she said something about a 'little cheat.'"

"Suzume Ohayashi," Hikari announced in a challenging tone. A couple of guys in the crowd jeered, cheering for both girls.

An equally postured Shadow member arose from the crowd and strut to the mat. "What a surprise, Uchiha." She spat with a smile.

"I know very well that this was no surprise to you." My friend responded.

Daichi-sensei ignored the exchange and signaled the start. "FIGHT!"

Suzume reached for Hikari, but only grasped air as the Uchiha merely side-stepped her attack. Hikari raised her right leg, keeping her eyes on her opponent at all times. A swift kick to the solar plexus sent Suzume hurling towards the ground. She curled her legs into herself, trying not to whimper from the pain. The attacker stayed in the ready position, but Suzume did not get back onto her feet. The countdown started. Five, four, three, two… Suzume took a deep breath, pushing herself off the ground while ignoring the pain.

"AAARRGGHHHHHHHHHH!" The girl screamed as she lunged at Hikari. The Uchiha located her next target, the wrist. In one swift motion, Hikari used her opponent's momentum to throw her over her shoulder, knocking the breath out of Suzume once her back made solid contact with the ground. Five, four, three, two, one.

"The winner is Hikari!"

"NO!" Suzume coughed, but Daichi-sensei waived her off and dismissed both fighters. However, Suzume hadn't had enough. She vaulted off the ground and charged once again, this time knocking the Uchiha out of position. Roars of encouragement erupted from the crowd as the chaos ensued. After hitting the mat, Hikari reacted fast enough to roll out of Suzume's grasp, but the girl reached again, snagging the sleeve of her shirt. It ripped, exposing the skin on Hikari's shoulder.

Before any other type of damage could be inflicted, Daichi used his massive strength to push the girls away from each other, hurling each one at the opposite corners of the mat. "I made myself clear! The winner is Hikari!" Suzume opened her mouth as if in protest, but decided against it. The Uchiha straightened herself up, nodded at the result, and walked briskly back to her original seat, but she kept her emerald eyes on Suzume until she sat back down.

"What was that about?" I asked my friend.

"She's just being herself," Hikari huffed.

Using one beefy arm, Daichi-sensei scooped up a piece of paper and called a new name. I didn't really listen to the words coming out of his mouth. Instead, I wondered if I could be as muscular as he was and how I could emit such a powerful aura that demanded respect from everyone. How many push-ups would it take to get that kind of an arm?

Someone pushed me forward and the next thing I knew, I had toppled over with my forehead touching the edge of the sparring mat. "Ryuu, he called your name," Hikari hissed at me.

Embarrassed, I quickly got to my feet with a sheepish smile. The gold jar was offered to me in all its radiance. I carelessly dug my fingers into the opening and pulled up a note from the bottom of the jar. My heart sunk into my stomach when I fully realized which name I had drawn. My hands stiffened. "Zan Yoshida."

Never in my life had I felt like some form of prey until this very moment. My arch nemesis was cackling as if he were a hyena, mocking its prey. His aura thickened and roared like a raging forest fire with no sign of ending. And like that fire, he raised himself to an imposing position and sauntered over to the middle of the thatched mat, leaving a trail of invisible flames. I couldn't help but shake, a little, because I knew that I only had a small possibility of defeating him. Though I am the son of the great hokage, I was but one person, a small mouse caught in the hyena's jaw. My sparring sessions were minute in that they only encompassed the ones I trusted all my life like my friends. No one ever meant any harm, only to get better in their skills. However, Zan was not a friend. He was someone who probably wanted to kill me at the first chance he got.

Daichi-sensei stepped back from the center. "FIGHT!"

A flash of white was in my face. I ducked and put my arms up to block. The punch was powerful and nearly sent me off my feet as I felt the force of his fist ripple through the makeshift wall of my forearms. Another blur of his sleeve was headed for me and I couldn't help but lurch away, unable to form a proper guard for my stomach. Though I was already on the floor, my eyes were locked on Zan as he jumped and turned for a tornado kick. I rolled away just in time while his deadly blow rattled the ground with a loud thud. So far, Zan had attempted three strikes and all I did was dodge and shrink away. I really needed to at least try to hit him. But how? Surely he could find a way grab a hold on me if I ever tried to reach out to him.

A voice from the crowd ripped through my inner thoughts, "You can do it, Ryuu!"

Another voice, "Get him!"

As if he was reading my earlier thoughts, Zan reached for me, but I wasn't quick enough, so I found myself on the ground and in a bicep control lock. Frantically, I tried to force my way out and to get him off of me, but failed. He had me pinned. By a whim, I swear the shinobi spirits reach down to remind me of my past training exercises. I had been in this situation before with my dad. He was teaching me how to get out of these holds just two weeks ago. Instinctively, I pulled both of my elbows towards my rib cage, making sure that his hands were wedged between my biceps and my torso. Without allowing any time for his reactions, I placed my hands onto my chest, careful not to let his hands slip, and rolled both elbows toward the ceiling. I watched him grimace in pain as his wrists were being bent in an unnatural manner.

He yelped. Crack! My eyes widened as I realized what had happened. Immediately, I let go and we both pulled away from each other. The timer went off.

Daichi-sensei held up my arm. "The winner is Ryuu Uzumaki!" After that, he nudged me back to my seat on the floor and waved over a nurse to examine a steaming Zan. He cursed as she led him away from the mat for a better look.

I felt a familiar hand pat my back. "Woah, I thought you were a goner out there!" Kenshin chuckled.

I sat down and rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, I seriously thought he would be the one to kill me."

A pair of dark emerald orbs met my own eyes. "What happened with Zan?" Hikari inquired.

"I think I broke his wrist. I moved too quick."

"That was… impressive," Tetsu beamed at me.

Teru added, "You'll have to teach me that trick."

* * *

**Please comment. I like constructive criticism, especially since I don't get very much from my classes these days.**

**Also, I want to make a note that this series will not be forever in school. I have plans for missions and maybe some scandals... if I can properly formulate the one that I'm attempting.**

**Next chapter is up whenever I can get it. Thank you for your patience. **


	4. THE FOURTH DAY

**Hey guys, thanks for your patience. Lately, I've been having trouble trying to plan out my side plot, but I've got it. My real problem now, is trying to visualize the kids' ninja clothes once they have their teams. (I'm too lazy to draw them out so I just browsed deviant art)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Naruto, but characters previously listed in the first chapter are in fact, from my own creation. **

**Inspiration: Final Fantasy XIII**

**Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

The 4th Day

Ryuu's POV

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning. My eyes opened at the sound of the radio on my alarm but my arm just wouldn't budge, not even to shut off the blaring music. The muscles in my legs clenched, trapping me inside the warmth of the comforter. Maybe I should just ignore the alarm and skip school… "Ryuu, are you awake yet?!" Mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs. I croaked a "Yes!" and rolled out of bed, overcoming the pain and exhaustion. "Just two more days," I said to myself in front of the mirror. The cold water helped to wake me up as I splashed the refreshing substance across my face. I thought about taking another shower, but I already took one last night and Mom was calling again. "Breakfast is ready!" My stomach growled like a beast. While buttoning up my uniform shirt, I wondered what today's events would bring me. What sort of pain would Daichi-sensei bring on us this time? We've already tested our speed, endurance, agility, and we've even had a couple of matches against each other. My dad was extremely proud of me when I told him how I beat the majority of my opponents.

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I was greeted with a hot plate of pancakes and eggs, to which I was ever so happy to wolf down. Mom set a cup of coffee for herself and sat down, facing Dad. "Do you remember when the Noble's Banquet is?"

He scratched at his slowly graying stubble with his eyes focused on the ceiling. "Ugh, the Saturday after next?"

This seemed to please Mom because her tone was calmer but stayed firm as she addressed the both of us. "Yes. I need your suits, so I can send them to be dry cleaned sometime early next week. Don't make any plans for that Saturday." She took a sip from her coffee. "Ryuu, I'm scheduling a hair appointment for you this weekend."

"Okay," I said and gulped down my glass of milk. Suddenly, I realized something and choked, spraying the white liquid right back into the cup. "Wait," I coughed, beating against my chest. "This Saturday is when we are supposed to have our first lesson with our sensei."

Mom tapped her fingernails against the ceramic. "Oh, that's right. Well, I'll change it to Sunday, then."

The doorbell rang. In a rehearsed motion, I leapt out of my chair, put my dishes in the sink, spun around to grab my bag, and waved goodbye before spinning out the door. As usual, Hikari was waiting for me.

"What's today's dosage of hard labor?" I asked her.

"Flexibility and weaponry," She responded without hesitation.

"A good day for Emi."

"Hn."

"Then what's tomorrow?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"It hasn't been mentioned yet, but I imagine it will be something other than physical abilities. There's more to being a ninja than what tricks you can do."

"Does that mean we'll have to take a test?" I groaned. I hated tests.

"It could be. But I have a feeling it will be something else. If the teachers want test scores, they already have our academic record since we first started school."

"I hope you're right." As we neared the Sanin Academy, we found Kaito staring at the ground. "Hey, man," I waved.

He perked up, "Morning. Do any of you guys know what's our death sentence today?" He grinned.

"Flexibility and weaponry," Hikari answered twice for today.

Kaito's eyes widened ever so slightly, but replaced the worry with a smile. "You're actually talking to me today?"

"Hn."

"Aaaaaand there it goes."

The warning bell rang, so I took the opportunity to change the subject while ushering the two of them inside. "Would you look at that? It's time for class." I was hoping for some miracle to happen in order to lighten the mood between them, but things only worsened when we came across Suzume and some of the other Shadows. Zan was not present.

She sneered, "You better watch yourselves today."

Even from my angle, I had a good feeling Hikari was rolling her eyes as she scoffed, "Great sense of humor."

"Hey," Kaito stepped in, "Our differences were settled yesterday. Let's have a break before going at each other's throats once more, okay?"

Suzume narrowed her eyes at him. "So I see the new kid has found his voice."

Just then, I felt a familiar presence that reeked of malice. Zan passed me from behind. In silence, he glared at us and focused on his members. He jerked his head in the direction of their classroom and headed that way, a silent indication that he wasn't thinking of fighting today.

After they left, I was confused. "That's strange."

"Zan's biding his time for another battle against you," Hikari interpreted as we walked into our own classroom. "He can't do anything now that you broke his wrist."

"But I didn't mean to do that."

"Doesn't matter. He's not in top condition whether you or someone else broke it. Zan wants to be seen beating you. If either of you is handicapped, then appearances won't look good, so it's more advantageous for him to wait."

"So that means Ryuu just us bought time for some peace and quiet," Kaito added.

"Hn."

"Still not talking to me?"

She ignored this and settled into her seat. Class began.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat. "Settle down, settle down. Hey, you two! You can flirt at lunch, not during my time." The class laughed at the couple's misfortune and focused on the teacher. "Today, we will discuss the aerodynamics of the shuriken and the kunai. These are one of the most basic tools of a ninja." He pulled down a screen and turned on the projector. An image of a kunai appeared on the screen, rotating to display every side of the weapon. "It's very important to know how to use one, though I'm sure everyone here already does. However, some of you may not have realized that the kunai and shuriken are used for different purposes because they have different effects in performance. Originally, the kunai was not invented for combat but for gardening. As time progressed, they were sharpened and used more often as close combat knives. Today, they are even thrown." Iruka-sensei clicked a button on the projector remote and another image appeared with arrows all around the blade. "Alright, here's the real deal. Although a shinobi can train himself to throw an object farther and farther, the kunai is still typically thrown at close range. As you can see, this is due to the stout shape of the base of knife, allowing less air resistance."

I noticed Kaito had taken out a notebook and began scribbling like a madman. Hasn't he heard of this basic stuff before? I glanced at Hikari to find that she too was raising an eyebrow at this.

"If properly handled, this weapon can prove to be much faster than the shuriken." The teacher flipped to the next slide. "In contrast to the kunai, the shuriken has always been meant for damage. Notice how thin it is. This property allows the shuriken to be thrown at angles and curve with the wind." There was more scribbling as the lecture went on. Too bored with the review and too intrigued with the new activity, I stopped listening to watch his hand fly across the paper. Sensing a pair of eyes on him, the brunette turned to me. His eyes slightly widened but the pencil never stopped its rhythm.

"Why?" I whispered, indicating at the elaborate expanse of lettering that littered the page in his notebook. He didn't answer and turned back to his paper.

After some other lectures and class assignments, the death bell finally rang and we all begrudgingly left our seats to head into the locker rooms. At least today would not be as crippling as the previous days. Daichi sensei seemed less stringent as well. I think this was due to the idea that he did not care so much for fanciful tricks as he did for brute strength and endurance. He was an athlete, not an artist. So, the arduous task of observing all the students was split among several teachers. As if on cue, the weather perfected itself when we marched outside, banishing the inconvenience of heavy winds. Firstly, each student was given exactly five kunai and five targets aligned against the trees.

Okay, no problem. I practiced all my life throwing stuff. I put four kunai into my left hand and one on the right. My arm pulled back so that the blade nearly touched my ear. Like a slingshot, I released my arm, flicked my wrist, and sent the weapon right to the target. Following this same pattern, I hit every target in the center… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… some closer than others. Relief flooded me as I let out a long breath. The instructor gave me five more and ordered that I threw with my non-dominant arm. Crap, I was always weaker on the left side. 1… 2… 3… 4… and 5. I did a lot better than I thought; not perfect but good enough.

"Last five," the instructor noted, handing me the knives. "You're new goal is to hit the targets while in motion. You need two running shots from the sides, one going backwards, an aerial, and some angle of your choice."

Oh, boy.

Omniscient Narrator

Hikari Uchiha watched as her best friend sprinted around the arena, flinging metallic blades in every direction and each one landing at the target. He had come a long way. She smiled inwardly in pride for her friend, for she remembered all those years as young children running around and throwing all sorts of objects at makeshift targets. Then, she noticed Kaito stepping up to take his turn and all signs of light in her faded. Ryuu was quick to befriend the new kid, but something wasn't right about this one. She had seen him before, but where? And why was it that no one else seemed to think the same as she did? This single thought about the newcomer isolated Hikari from the rest of her friends as they accepted him so gracefully while she clutched at resistance. Maybe she was wrong about this one, or it wasn't really such a big deal. Strangely, the meaning of her name was "light," but she wasn't so cheerful and optimistic all the time like Ryuu. Instead, Hikari was reserved, except towards her close friends, and always looked for reason, not hope.

"Uchiha!" An incessant teacher beckoned her forth with a set of glimmering knives. She accepted them and struck every target in the center. A perfect score. Following the next set of instructions, the girl darted left, threw a kunai, then darted right to launch another. They both hit a bull's eye. She leapt into the air, pushing away from the foreground and performing a backflip. As soon as her feet were removed from her view, Hikari flicked her wrist to send one right to the target. The Uchiha tucked her legs in to land softly on her feet like a cat. Once she was balanced, she concentrated her chakra to her toes and launched off the ground again. At the peak of her trajectory, Hikari made her next kunai connect to the desired target. In midair, she decided to use more flair. Why not? She had a reputation as an Uchiha to uphold. Instead of landing back on the ground, she maneuvered her legs ever so slightly to latch onto the branch of a nearby tree with her chakra still concentrated at her feet. Then, Hikari pushed off, flipped, threw her last kunai, and flipped once more before gracefully landing feet first into the grass. Hikari turned her head to see the proctor nod and scribble a few notes on her clipboard. The girl's job was done.

As instructed, she sat down on a patch of soft grass, waiting for the rest of her group to finish before it was time to head back to the locker rooms. While sitting, she propped her elbows on her knees and laced her fingers together, contemplating the final results. Of course, she was a skilled kunoichi, but what about her future teammates? If she was going to surpass her older brother, she needed a team that she could count on. That meant there was no room for any weakness. Traditionally, each team consisted of one girl and two boys. Hikari scanned the field, evaluating each male student.

Truth be told, she wanted Ryuu to be on her team as much as he wanted her to be his teammate. They had known each other since birth, and she knew that she could rely on him like she could with her own brothers.

Yuki Kaito would be a problem. She didn't trust him just yet, and he was weaker than most boys. Yes, he was athletic, but he couldn't hold himself in battle at all. It was like he had never fought before in his entire life, though his last name suggested that he was from the Yuki clan of the Mist village. Yesterday was a disaster for him. No, she wouldn't want him anywhere near her.

Teru and Tetsu were good candidates. They were a team themselves and very trustworthy. Teru was talented enough to use wind based attacks and Tetsu was just as powerful with his deceptive shadow jutsu. In addition, both were masterminds of strategy. However, their chakra levels were not as enduring as Ryuu's or her's. Plus, they were lazy. Tetsu more than Teru.

Kenshin was also reliable and loyal to his friends. He was also patient with Blazer. To compliment this, Ken possessed a strong work ethic, but he was also a natural flirt. His eyes lingered on too many girls just for the sake of ogling. The dog boy was easily distracted by skirts.

Though she was not particularly friends with Benjirou, she couldn't ignore the fact that he was a strong candidate for a potential teammate. He was quick, almost as much as her, and possessed a suitable amount of upper body strength. Unfortunately, there was the trust issue again. Hikari didn't know him that well, and he could have an ulterior motive. No, that very last part was just being paranoid.

Hikari watched as one boy stepped up to the challenge. She recognized his face but never bothered to remember his name. Like his kunai, his silver hair gleamed in the sunlight. There was a reason as to why she hadn't bothered with him. He was a decent fighter and was smart enough to be second only to her in acadmics, but he lacked endurance and athletic ability beyond the fighting mat. He just wasn't suited to the physical part of being a shinobi.

Certainly, the Uchiha would not want any of the Shadow members on her side. Yes, they were a force to be reckoned with, but none were worthy of her trust. They were all Zan's lapdogs and yes men, always looking for his good graces… if that boy ever possessed any. Suzume especially fitted this description, though she was very weak. Thankfully, Hikari didn't need to worry about any other females.

"PERFECT SCORE!"

Kami! She screamed inside herself. Emi smiled smugly and plopped next to her.

"What are you thinking about?" The Hyuuga girl asked.

"Just debating my possible chances of getting good teammates."

"How's that going?"

"Everyone has their ups and downs. There's no room for weakness on my preferred team."

"So who's on it?"

"No one yet."

"Oh. Hmm, I guess I should be thinking about my team too."

"You'd want someone reliable and able to compliment your abilities. Your weakness is their strength."

"I want hot guys on my team!" Emi joked.

Hikari chuckled quietly, "You sound like a female version of Kenshin."

"Maybe this is a good thing."

"What? Being like Kenshin?"

"No, I mean, that it's good that we will be separated into our own squads."

"How so?"

"Well," Emi looked to the sky. "Me, you, Kenshin, Ryuu, and the twins… We have all grown up together. We've known each other for so long, that none of us has really bothered to depend on anyone else. Once we've gone our separate ways, we'll meet new people. Well, not necessarily new, but we'll make new friends with our teammates. You and I will interact with different people… and not be confined to the same routine day in and day out."

Hikari thought about this for a long moment, gazing up at the sky with the brunette. "You're right," she admitted.

"You especially need to brush up on your people skills," Emi added.

"Hn?"

"See? That's what I'm talking about. You're so intense that most people become afraid of you. Plus, you're so hard to read. Smile every once in a while!"

Hikari gave her a perplexed look. "I know how to smile. I'm still human."

"Yes, but…" Emi gathered her thoughts, choosing her words carefully. "Most people, other than us, don't know that. You don't open up."

"What's wrong with not smiling? I'm not mad at anyone."

Emi sighed. "Just be a little more social. I know that you will have your teammates' backs but will they have yours? Think about that. Even small talk and meaningful gestures like a smile can form bonds. Those bonds will save your life."

The Uchiha blew air through her nose. Again, Emi was right. "Okay, I'll try."

Smiling, the Hyuuga girl continued, "You and I are so different. While you're an introvert, I'm an extrovert. We should take notes from each other. I probably need to be more serious at times and watch what I'm doing or I just might be the first idiot to die. Whoops!" Emi sprang to her feet. "Knock on wood!" And she did so with the bark of a nearby tree.

"Is it just me or does today seem like a waste of a day?" Hikari wondered aloud.

"Mmmm, yes it does. Throwing kunai is so simple. Everyone at the Academy has been doing this since the day they were born," Emi replied as she settled down again in the grass.

Changing the subject, Hikari whispered lowly, "That reminds me… I overheard Iruka-sensei talking to the headmaster about early graduation plans."

Intrigued by this juicy new information, Emi scooted closer to her childhood friend. "Oh? Who's going to graduate early?"

"I don't know, but the headmaster is holding a meeting with all the Academy staff, the members of the council, and the hokage tonight." Hikari smirked wickedly and raised an eyebrow. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

A Cheshire cat grin formed on Emi's lips. "Sounds like a girl's night out. What time?"

"Nine o'clock."

"Okay, meet you by the usual spot?"

She nodded. Their last night before separating into teams was set into place and they would truly put their reconnaissance skills to the ultimate test.

X

X

X

"Uzumaki Ryuu."

"Yes?" The said boy answered his art teacher.

"Please come with me."

He did as he was told and followed Ayaka-sensei towards a bench that was perched away from the ears of the other students on the field. The teacher pushed his glasses back and pulled out Ryuu's self-portrait that he had been working on during the week. "I see that you have already included some colors into your drawing."

"Uh, yeah…" Ryuu scratched the back of his head. It was true. He tended to draw one object, color it, draw something else, color it, and so on. So far, the paper showed an amateur replication of his head, eyes, nose, and hair. He used colors that best matched his features and never strayed from the habit unless he found the object of description to be boring. "I'm sorry that I'm no good at art. I can never get the eyes right."

"That's alright." He uncapped a pen, ready to begin taking notes over their conversation.

Great, Ryuu thought to himself, the teacher is gone and here comes the psychiatrist.

"I see very many eraser marks over the eyes. You must have been concentrated on getting the shape just right."

"Umm… yes, sir. I had to ask Hikari how to draw it, and it took me a while to get one eye down and then to make the other look just like the first."

Ayaka scribbled down something and nodded. "Please tell me why you decided to begin using color despite the fact that you weren't finished with the rest of your drawing."

"Well… uh… I, uh… I just thought the picture looked too blank without the colors."

More scratch marks appeared on the teacher's clipboard, but Ryuu couldn't see exactly what was written from his angle. "Tell me why you used this color scheme."  
"Uh, because it's right? I mean, my eyes are blue and my hair is blonde-ish. Why wouldn't I color it that way?"  
The teacher scratched at his clipboard again with the pen. "Hmm, now why did you use a regular pencil to sketch the drawing rather than a charcoal pencil?"

"I don't know. I guess… I guess I was just more comfortable with a pencil. I use one every day. I almost never pick up a piece of charcoal and say that I'm going to make a masterpiece with it. It's… it's not for me." Ryuu twiddled his fingers together. He had never thought about these questions before, and he felt that they didn't matter at all. It was like when his literature teacher had once asked him why the author chose to write that a certain dress was blue. He had merely thought that the character's dress just happened to be that color, not that the pigment was meant to symbolize the character's melancholy attitude for that particular chapter.

"Hmm, one last question. What were you thinking of when you drew this?"

"Uh, I was thinking about how to get it right and was wondering why was it so hard to copy what I see onto the paper."

He finished his note-taking and gathered up his items. The teacher dismissed him, and walked towards the next student to be interrogated. Ryuu let out a long breath. Those questions were considerably tough, especially since they were simply about art. Nevertheless, he simply shrugged it off. Ryuu was no artist. He was going to be a shinobi.

At last, lunch arrived for the students as they scrambled for food to recharge their chakra levels. Ryuu sat down at his usual table with a steaming fresh bowl of shoyu ramen. He savored the sweet broth, and slurped his egg noodles with delight. Hikari was staring intently at her food, until he asked, "Did you find a hair in that bento?"

She shook her head and put down her chopsticks. A sigh was released from between her lips as she rubbed her temples. "Just thinking too hard."

"About what?"

"My mom has been bugging me about a dress for the upcoming Noble's Banquet. It's nothing too serious."

Emi piped, "I've already got my dress!"

Hikari took to the conversation. "What color?"

"It's a cute yellow one with a square neckline and a poufy skirt. Now, normally, I don't like yellow, but this was-"

"Why do you girls worry so much about the banquet?" Kenshin asked. This stopped the dress conversation and two pairs of eyes zoned in on him. "I mean, it's just that… why bother? All we do is eat, socialize a little, and then go home."

Emi's mood changed. "No, the purpose is to be seen! Tell him, Hikari."

As if the defense was coordinated, the said girl spoke up. "Several nobles, besides the ninja clans, come to the banquet. The more you stand out and make connections, the more likely you will be hired out by them during missions, and these families can pay higher prices for a good shinobi."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I never thought of it that way. And here, I've just been trying to smooth talk all the rich girls."

"Well, that's one method of making connections," Emi commented.

"I think I'll just look for a simple black dress," Hikari continued.

"You can never go wrong with that."

Kaito was completely lost in all the talk of the banquet, so Ryuu filled him in. "Basically, we have some sort of gathering twice a year, sometimes, three. There's a big feast and formal dancing, a typical party for the wealthy. I'm not so much a fan of it. I just go because I have to go."

Kaito leaned back into his seat. He wasn't of noble or clan birth, so he knew he wasn't able to attend such an event, but he listened anyway.

Ignoring Kaito and Ryuu, Emi reached into her book bag to pull out a glossy magazine. "I almost forgot, Hikari, I found this in my mailbox yesterday. It's from that new dress shop in the plaza."

Hikari's eyes widened ever so slightly. Usually, she didn't concern herself with fashion media, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. The fact that she really did need a new dress was also a contributing factor. "Let's take a look."

The Hyuuga girl pointed to the first dress. "I love the design on this one. If I hadn't already bought a dress, I would have taken this one." She pointed to another. "But this is so not cute."

"Agreed. What about this one?"

"Adorable."

For the rest of the lunch period, the girls flipped through the thick pages. The boys, however, were not interested in such a thing. Instead, they found themselves trading off different portions of their lunch and discussing about the day's events. After slurping his noodles, Ryuu brought up the topic of the art teacher. "Has anyone been questioned by Ayaka-sensei yet?"

"The art teacher?" Kaito nodded. "Yep, he's kind of weird, isn't he?"

"Dude, he's the king of weird," Kenshin chuckled.

The new kid continued, "Anyway, he kept asking questions about my color choice and technique."

"Haha, I didn't even know art had technique!" Kenshin jested.

The son of the Hokage agreed with his friends. "Yeah, he asked me those same questions. I bet each kind of answer means something about us. Maybe the concept is that if we used lighter colors, then we are an optimist and if we used darker ones, then that means we are the opposite."

Kaito shrugged. "Sounds like a legitimate answer to me."

"But then again," Ryuu crossed his arms in thought. "I just put down whatever look as close as possible to my actual image."  
"Me too," Kenshin added.

"Same here."

"Okay, so either that means that we are all realists or… or that idea was bogus."  
"So then what else could it be?" The three thought together on the subject, but try as they might, they could not fathom a solution or some sort of explanation. Anything they had come up with was either too light or too far off topic. The loud ringing bell interrupted their thoughts and rushed the students out of the cafeteria. Nothing remarkable had happened for the rest of the school day. Though the homework stack was the same, most of the students were able to finish everything before the final bell.

The halls were crowded like ant tunnels as everyone rushed off campus. Ryuu watched as Hikari and Emi exchanged a few words before the Uchiha joined up with him for their walk home. The air was sweet with the aroma of snacks from the vendors, and it made his mouth water, but he knew that his mother would not approve of him spoiling his own dinner. Younger children galloped across the streets for the sweets and even smaller one harassed their mothers. As the two childhood friends neared the hokage building, Ryuu stopped his pace. "I'm going to hang out with my dad before I go home." He waited until the girl nodded before he waved, "See you tomorrow, Hikari." And with that, he entered the hokage building.

Ryuu raced up the marble stairs, waving at the staff members that he had known since early childhood until he reached his father's secretary. "Hi, is my dad busy?"

"No, you may go ahead."

"Thanks." He knocked loudly on the heavy wooden double doors. Once he heard his father's invitation, he entered the Hokage's office. "Hey, Dad."

"Hello, Ryuu. What are you doing here?" His father waved him further into the office, and the boy advanced until he was standing in front of the desk.

"I wanted to ask you a question."

His father extended his arms outward. "Ask away."

"There's a rumor about early graduation at the Sanin Academy."

"Oh? From who?"

"Kids at school are talking about it, but only when a teacher isn't present. Is it true?"

His father scratched the stubble on his chin, debating how to answer Ryuu. "Yes, I am going to the meeting tonight to hear about it." He smiled. "Iruka-sensei has a very good case. He says you and your friends are very excelled in your training."

"So, does that mean you're going to allow early graduation?"

"Well, I think that you all should have been Chunin a year ago," He leaned back into his chair, thinking again. Finally, he gestured for Ryuu to move closer. The hokage whispered to his son, "The meeting is supposed to be in secret. Do you want to come and listen?"

"But won't I get kicked out since I'm not supposed to know anyway?"

"Not if you hide."

"What time?"

"Tonight at nine."

"Okay, Dad. Thank you."

"Hey, if you want to be in my position one day, you should start learning now. Besides, this is just a domestic affair. The elders say it should be secret, but it won't cause a crisis or anything if you listened. Just don't get caught."

"I won't."

X

X

X

That night, at 8:50 p.m., Hikari Uchiha scaled to the upper branches of the largest tree she could find at the front of the Sanin Academy. She melted into the darkness as she watched several members of the council make their way into the building one by one. Though she was itching to follow them inside, she knew she had to wait for her accomplice. No sooner than she had produced that thought, a rustle in the leaves signaled the production of her wish. Below her, Emi's smiled gleamed in the moonlight. Together, they slipped into the building through an unlocked window, using the top branch of the tree.

Just like the window, the classroom door was unlocked for them to continue into the hallway. Emi followed the Uchiha out of the room and around the corner. A few hall lights were turned on, but not all, creating pools of visibility surrounded by darkness. Earlier, they had deduced that the most likely room that the meeting would be held in was the auditorium. "Do you think that they'll have guards posted- Mmm!"

Hikari muffled Emi with the sleeve of her shirt. They pressed themselves against the wall's shadow as someone walked passed without noticing the girls. After the guard passed, Hikari whispered, "Does that answer your question?" She nodded. Silence and the darkness were to be their closest allies. Both of the girls tiptoed their way up a flight of stairs and nearly ran into another guard. Fortunately, his back was turned to them, but he was much more dangerous. He held a flashlight in his left hand. Quickly, Hikari concentrated her chakra to her feet and leapt up to the ceiling with Emi following. The second girl barely made it out before the guard turned around to continue his patrol down the stairs. He was completely unaware of the intruders.

"Why are you putting on that mask?" Emi asked Hikari while they were still rooted to the ceiling.

As the girl slipped on the black cloth she replied through the fabric, "If we happen to get caught, they won't know who we are. We have a reputation to uphold. Here," Hikari handed Emi another mask. "At this rate, our chances of being seen has been doubled. I didn't think that there would be this many guards."

The Hyuuga complied. "Well, with these," Emi indicated at the dark fabric on her face, "we can still knock them out and continue."

"Exactly."

By this time, the auditorium was not far. Hikari and Emi knew that their best chances of watching the meeting without being noticed was by hiding in the rafters. After turning the next corner, they came upon a single door. Hikari reached for the handle to slide the door open, but it was locked. "Tch, I should have known."

"Do you have a hairpin?"

Hikari handed Emi one from her hair. "Does that trick actually work?"

"Only if you do it right." Click. The door slid open, and Emi grinned.

Despite the lack of light, they knew that the room they entered was the backstage area to the auditorium. As silent as the wings of a butterfly, the two climbed the rafters until the members of the meeting were visible. A long wooden table ran along the floor in front of the stage. Members of the council were seated in order of importance with the hokage at the end and the two elders on either side of him.

"What's wrong with our current school curriculum?" An elderly woman spat.

The hokage ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "What's wrong with it?" He slammed both hands against the table. "It's hindering our future shinobi! How can we fill in missions if we don't have enough ninja?

A council man interjected, "Students who are still in the academy have been allowed to undertake D-rank missions with a team of four which includes an instructor. I think that has been fair enough."

"I had to assign a D-rank mission to a chunin this morning because all the genin had their studies to carry out! Plus, they are not organized into proper teams that complement each student's abilities because they are not graduated. And the instructors are mere baby sitters since not one of them that the council has hired is actually a ninja!"

Another councilman spoke up, "But think of the children. Are we expecting them to wield dangerous weapons and assassinate people? Think of how this could corrupt their minds."

"I was sent on my first mission when I was twelve," the hokage retorted.

"But that was the old tradition," another councilman said.

Iruka-sensei sided with the hokage. "And it worked. Plus, all genin were under the supervision of a jonin at all times during their missions."

The first woman shook her head. "I just don't think it's morally right to send children into war."

"We are not at war," the hokage corrected stiffly. "I do not send genin to a battle field."

Iruka-sensei added, "Yes, those are reserved for anbu, jonin, and advanced chunin."

"Hokage-sama," a grey haired councilman interjected. "You have a fifteen year old son, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Would you be comfortable sending him off on a mission of which he may not return?"

He pounded the table again. "My son is capable of himself! He is far past the level of genin and is ready to be a chunin. He should have been a chunin long ago, no thanks to the council's decision on the educational program."  
"You didn't answer the question."

He sighed. "Ryuu is a shinobi and once he becomes a genin, he will be assigned on a team headed by a jonin. That jonin is responsible for his life, but if he dies in combat, he dies an honored shinobi. Your answer is yes. I will be worried sick just like any other parent in Konoha, but nevertheless, I will send him on a mission with his team."

The grey haired councilman replied, "Some parents will not agree with that."

"Then they can pull their child off the shinobi path," Iruka-sensei suggested. "It is not mandated that everyone must be a shinobi. I know there are children in the system who are only here because their parents push them or that they enrolled for the wrong reasons."

A silver haired man who had kept silent for the most part slowly stood up. He wore a blue mask that covered every inch of his face below his eyes. Hikari recognized him as Kakashi Hatake. "I have never supported the current school curriculum, but I do understand the council's concerns. For this, I am sure Iruka and the hokage have prepared a compromise."

Iruka-sensei waited for the hokage to nod at him. Once he did the teacher rose from his chair. "Yes, thank you, Kakashi-sama. I propose that the graduation year be pushed back to the age of fourteen, rather than sixteen. That is still two years over the starting age for genin several years ago. The graduation requirements would still call for a final exam as it has always been."

"And how will the current students above that age become genin? Will you just tell them not to show up for class tomorrow?"

"No, they will take the exam the week after next for early graduation. We will ease the rest of the Sanin Academy into transition from the current system to this new one. Right now, those in the last class are being arranged to make the best teams possible. For the past week, we have been analyzing the physical and mental abilities of each student. Ninety-nine percent of this graduating class is at or beyond the level of a genin." He hefted a box full of neatly stacked papers. "All the teachers have recorded their abilities and have deemed them worthy of genin title. The one percent that does not qualify will either drop out or repeat the year. Now, the next graduating class is mostly composed of fourteen to fifteen year olds who will take a later exam to be considered for early graduation as they may not have been taught the skills learned in the last year of the Sanin Academy. Any questions so far?"

The grey haired councilman nodded his head. "I see… I support it."

Another two agreed.

The elderly woman pursed her lips. "I am still opposed."

One councilwoman asked, "I think those reports should be examined by the council first." Some around the table nodded.

Iruka-sensei objected, "They are not complete yet. The last challenge for the students will be held tomorrow."

"Very well," the female elder said. She must have been in the process of changing her mind because she added, "The council will examine them once they are finished. I believe that the new system can go into effect after the council has decided which students are qualified for early graduation for this class."

All eyes turned back to the hokage, but his eyes were concentrated on the box of papers. "Fine," he said at last. "Iruka, when will the reports be ready?"

"Tomorrow night, Lord Hokage."

"That seems more than reasonable," the hokage nodded. He lifted his blue eyes back to the council as a whole. "Who is in favor of this agreement?" One by one the council's hands were raised. "All in favor?" No one objected. "Then the reports will be delivered to the council tomorrow night, and the next meeting regarding the qualifications of specific students will be held next Thursday at noon in the hokage building. This is meeting is now adjourned."

Ryuu waited until everyone left the room, including his father. He was safe under the floorboards of the stage so long as he did not make any noises. Not a single one of the council members had suspected of his hiding place. Once the his father closed the door to the auditorium, Ryuu counted silently. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. He exhaled and removed himself from the floorboards. The hokage's son made his way backstage. A soft, muffled plop warned him not to go further. Instantly, Ryuu pressed himself against the black curtains and tiptoed towards the source of the noise.

"I shouldn't have had seconds for dinner." A family voice echoed at the slightest volume. Suddenly, he felt a tug and then a small hand enveloped his neck. His breath caught but the hand receded back into the blackness when he felt a familiar presence.

"Hikari?"

"Ryuu?"

Even in the darkness, his ice blue eyes met the outline of his friends. "Emi? What are you guys-"

"SH!" The hand clasped around his mouth, cutting out his ability to speak. "Let's go outside."

Together, they traversed through the darkness without encountering any more guards. The meeting was adjourned and there was no need for the security. A silver crescent was the only thing to greet their return to the outside world. After glancing around for an absent father, Ryuu decided that the hokage must have already begun his walk home, leaving him to find his own way back in order to keep suspicion at minimum. Both girls removed their masks.

Hikari spoke, "I didn't think you would come here."

Ryuu was perplexed. "I didn't expect you two either."

They began to walk away from the school grounds. Somewhere in the grass, a cricket began his ballad. Emi asked, "So how did you find out about this?"

"Hikari told me."

"Hn."

"Oh. When?"

"Today after lunch."

"Oh." Emi nodded, accepting the explanation. "I don't remember that."

The Uchiha admitted, "You weren't there. It was just me and Ryuu."

Ryuu changed the subject. "I don't think we should tell anyone this. Especially since the council members are still going to debate on this."

The girls nodded again and without another word, the young, future ninjas separated from their triad. Three shadows split away from one another and were enveloped by the night and the sound of the crickets muffled their careful footsteps.

* * *

**Good? I hope so, but if you find something that doesn't fit, please let me know.**

**Hopefully, will give me more inspiration for clothing design. **

**Please comment and review too! I enjoy them!**

**Also, in regards to the mary sue comment, I will let you all know, that none of these characters represent myself. They are composed of other videogame/ anime characters and people that I have personally met. I don't write about myself. The first person dialogue is a narration technique that I rarely use in my curriculum and I wanted to practice that.**


	5. THE FIFTH DAY

**This chapter took a while to make. I knew what I was going for but the details were hard to decide on. Anyway, hope you all enjoy.**

**Inspiration: Kingdom Hearts, Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief**

* * *

The 5th Day

**Omniscient Narrator**

Despite the fact that he had stayed up late the previous night, Ryuu awoke with a surge of energy just one minute before his alarm would have blared through the peaceful morning. He stretched his arms, arched his back until he felt a pop, and rolled away from the warmth of the comforter. His mother did not bother to check up on him this morning. Ryuu splashed cold water onto his face, ecstatic about the deal his father had made last night. If the council approved of the student records, he would graduate from the Sanin Academy and start his dream of becoming a shinobi. Not only that, but today was the day that he would learn about his new team.

Music was in the air as he descended the stairs two at a time. The protégé was so excited about the day that he missed the last step and fell forward. "WAA!" He yelped and instinctively held up his arms to stop his face from smacking the hardwood floor. PLOP! The sound echoed throughout the house.

"You okay, Ryuu?" His father called from the kitchen table.

"I'm good," the boy replied. A little trip never got the best of him. Upon entering the kitchen, he couldn't help but allow a smile to return to his face.

The hokage set down his mug of coffee as his son began eating his breakfast. "I didn't sense you anywhere at the meeting. Where did you hide?"

"Under the stage. Did anyone notice me?" Ryuu asked inquisitively.

"No, I don't think so. That was pretty good. If the hokage of the Leaf Village didn't sense you, I don't think anyone did." Naruto beamed at his only son.

"Awesome!"

The woman of the house entered the kitchen, overhearing their conversation. "What? Where did you go last night, Ryuu?" She demanded sternly. Her almost white eyes flashed fiercely.

Ryuu was taken aback. He had forgotten to keep the conversation at a minimum level. "Uhh, well…" he stuttered.

To soothe her, his father interjected, "I allowed him to observe an education meeting if he did not make himself known. Don't worry, no one suspected him."

This didn't seem to appease her. "Naruto, do you know how serious this would be if anyone heard of you allowing someone not on the council to listen in on a crucial meeting?"

"Don't worry," the father repeated. "It wasn't a security issue. It was just a meeting about the school curriculum. Besides, no one saw him."

She huffed and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "You better hope no one noticed." The bell rang at the front door and Ryuu took that as his sign to take his leave.

Outside, the morning breeze was refreshing to Ryuu's senses. Even Hikari seemed elated about the day. Birds were singing their versions of "good morning," bakeries filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma, small children chased each other; the entire village was bustling with life. "Man, I'm excited about getting a team!"

The girl smiled. "Me too. I've been thinking about this day all summer long and honestly, I really hope we are on the same team."

"Really?" Ryuu tilted his head at her.

"Yeah, you are the person I trust the most." She chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder. "You're my brother."

"Oh stop it, you," Ryuu laughed along with his best friend. A bluebird dashed in front of them, flying up to the top of a fence and singing all the way. "Alright Sis, so who else should be on our team?" He added, "If you had to choose?"

She turned her gaze back onto the sidewalk. "I have been thinking about that. Maybe Ken or one the twins. I could live with Benjirou, too."

"Benjirou?" He flashed a devious look. "Speaking of him, he's planning to ask you out. I don't when though. Could that suggestion mean a possible 'yes?"'

Hikari's pace faltered ever so slightly, but she recovered almost immediately. Her eyebrows tensed as she thought for a small moment. "No. I don't know him that well… plus, I don't think I'm attracted to him."

Ryuu returned to his normal facial expressions. "Oh, well, I thought you should know." He put his hands behind his head, looking up at the bright sky. Not a single cloud was in sight to block the charming sun rays. "Yeah, if he's on our team, that would make things awkward."

Hikari's mood dropped to a serious tone all of a sudden. At first, Ryuu thought she was having second thoughts on Benjirou, but discovered the real reason when he looked down the road. Kaito was waving as he approached them. Ignoring Hikari's static aura, the Uzumaki boy waved back and greeted, "Hey, Kaito. What's up?"

"Morning," he greeted the both of them. "Today's the day, isn't it?" He smiled.

"Yep. Hikari and I were just talking about that. We're both excited."

Kaito admitted, "Me too, but I'm also a little nervous. I mean, what if I get on a team with someone who… hates my guts, or a Shadow." He glanced nervously at Hikari. She didn't respond to him.

Ryuu's eyes were downcast. "Hmm, I guess I hadn't thought about that." He let that idea sink in as the three of them walked onto the school grounds. "Hopefully, it will all work out for the better."

X

X

X

"Listen up ducklings!" Daichi roared during gym class. "I've heard a bunch of you kids talking to each other and wondering whether we are working or not in class today." He laughed evilly. "HAHAHA! We work every day! There's no such thing as a break in my class!" Daichi waited for everyone to swallow this harsh reminder. "I know you're all excited about getting into your teams today, but we have one last test."

BOOM! All the lights went out around Ryuu. That's strange, he thought, why would there be a power outage now? It wasn't storming outside. The whole room had stayed quiet, so he didn't quite know how everyone else was responding. Suddenly, Ryuu felt as if he couldn't breathe. He gasped but no air came. His hands shot to his neck, thinking that Zan might have recovered from his wrist injury and was seeking his revenge, but nothing was there. He struggled, beginning to panic. What was going on? Why couldn't he breathe? He closed his eyes, fighting to stay conscious. Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!

The lights flickered back on and air rushed into his lungs. It was cold, but it was just what he needed. As Ryuu gained back his breath, he looked around to see if anyone else knew what had just happened to him. "Where is everyone?" He wondered aloud. Not a soul was anywhere around him. He was in pure confusion. One minute, Daichi-sensei was giving his usual tough-guy speech and now Ryuu was somewhere else. Did he just get knocked cold during the blackout and was just dreaming? The gym had been replaced by a small, dimly lit room. Ryuu didn't even see where the light was coming from. It was as if the source were invisible and not coming from any direction in particular. The walls were a dark tan color and the floor was dirt. "What's going on here?" Silence was his only response.

Then, a door appeared before him. It stood in the middle of the room without any wall to support it similar to a stage prop. He stepped closer towards the door. A spark ignited and words began to appear on the woodwork like someone was inscribing it with a hot ember. In neat handwriting, it read:

IF YOU DARE

Ryuu's eyebrows furrowed. What was that supposed to mean. He glanced around the room again. There was no other way out. "I guess I have no choice," he said to himself and turned the knob, pulling it towards him. The door didn't budge. "What?" He gave it a push instead, but nothing happened. Ryuu was determined to get out the room before he went crazy, so he pulled back and gave a swift kick at the wood. The door relented, yielding a set of glowing staircases. "Okay, this is weird." Reluctantly, Ryuu ascended the spiraling stairs.

It was still dim but at least he knew where the light was coming from which did make things a little bit better. Finally, he reached the top. Another wooden door greeted him, but no fiery words appeared. He opened it, revealing another low lighted room almost identical to the first. The only difference was that there three sources of light perched above three white blocks used as stands. Nervously, he approached the three stands. Each supported an orb of three different colors: red, blue, and yellow. There was a flash below him, and Ryuu cast his gaze to the floor, now black tile with a message inscribed in the same fiery font.

EACH ORB IS POWER. ONLY ONE MAY BE TAKEN. CHOOSE WISELY.

He reverted his attention back to the orbs. Now, an inscription was visible on the stands. The red orb stand was labeled "Strength," the blue was "Wisdom," and the yellow was "Speed." Ryuu studied each glowing orb. Which one? He was drawn to the red orb. Yes. He settled on strength. The blonde ninja reached for the red orb, but just as he touched it, the red color was drained and the orb shrunk until it was gone. Instantly, he felt a surge of power as the energy began coursing through his veins. When he looked up again, the other objects disappeared from the room and another door appeared.

Sensing a pattern, Ryuu approached the wooden portal and opened it to reveal a circular room with much better lighting. Once he entered, he found a single stone statue of a lion carved in the ancient traditional style and design. "Wow, this looks kinda scary," he commented. Suddenly, he felt air movement. His eyes immediately shifted to the ancient lion's face as its head began to move. There was a crackling sound and the stone lion roared to life with tremendous force! Ryuu yelped and jumped back. The lion's grey eyes focused on him. It growled and leapt off its pedestal. "AHHHH!" Ryuu panicked. Statues do not normally come to life. Instinctively, Ryuu's right hand drifted his thigh to find a kunai patch. That's strange. He wasn't wearing one earlier. Instead of trying to figure out how the weapons had found their way to him, Ryuu rolled away as the lion pounced. He dodged a swipe and struck its arm with a sharp kunai. Since the lion was made of stone, he didn't expect much. Surprisingly, the knife ripped off an impressive chuck of stone from the lion's arm. "Alright!" The ninja cheered. It roared in anger and swiped at him with the other paw. Ryuu parried with the knife again. The same injury resulted, and the feline stepped back. Analyzing one another, the opponents kept to their own battle stances. Ryuu began to formulate a method. Obviously, the kunai he wielded was sharp enough to piece stone, and the lion was already injured, but did it feel as much as a real one would? He didn't know, but dream or not, he had to win. The lion lunged for him again, teeth bared. Ryuu ducked away, just out of its reach. Beside the leaping figure, he managed to push his kunai deep into the flank as the lion's body passed him. It let out another roar, the curly mane swished as the head shook to loosen its rock hard muscles. It stared him down again. This time, Ryuu didn't wait for it to make the first move. He dug into the kunai pouch again, pulled out another knife, and flung them both at the beast. One landed on the chest, the other caught its shoulder. Ryuu repeated the process, flinging metal weapons as the lion charged once more. He pulled out one more and with this last kunai, Ryuu concentrated his chakra into it. When the beast was close enough, he hurled the chakra infused projectile at its right leg. As soon as the metal contacted its target, the entire leg was blown off the stone lion, causing it to fall to its side. In its panicked state, the beast did not even notice Ryuu rushing toward its head. At the right time, Ryuu landed a forceful punch to its jawline, crumbling the whole head. "HAAA!" The massive stone body hit the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces.

He couldn't believe it. He had just blown a lion, made out of solid rock, into all this rubble. The energy coursed through his arms and legs, giving him a pump up feeling. "Huh, I guess that stuff really does work." Ryuu studied his hand that had touched the red orb just a few minutes ago. If he had not chosen that type of power, he may not have survived this impossible encounter. He looked up again to find the next door already in place. Ryuu gathered his wits, took a deep breath, and turned the knob. The ninja expected to find another immediate enemy. Instead, he found more glowing stairs. He let out a breath of relief for the moment. At the top, he hesitated before opening the next wooden door. A spark ignited and he watched as his next message was scrawled before him.

ALL POWER IS DRAWN FROM A SOURCE

"Okay," he said to himself, "There's something else in there that I'm going to fight." He took a steady breath for further preparation. "I can do this." Ryuu turned the knob and carefully stepped in. There was not a single thing inside the room, but Ryuu refused to let his guard down. He inched toward the center of the circular enclosure. As a precaution, he pulled out another kunai from his pouch, now replenished as if he never took part in the previous battle. A sudden flash of white light blinded Ryuu, and he immediately shielded his eyes. When he could see again, he found a koto made out of smooth dark wood and embellished with mother of pearl designs. Without a musician, the strings of the instrument began to vibrate, creating a mysterious melody. Though he was not musically talented, Ryuu could hear specific chords being played like the street performers would produce during festivals. As Ryuu listened to the strings bounce and compress, he couldn't help but notice that the tone of the melody had changed. Now, it was slowing down and becoming more ominous. Something was behind him.

Turning around slowly, Ryuu discovered a complete suit of samurai armor standing upright, without the use of a person to wear it, and brandishing a thick katana. The koto was picking up its tempo, and the battle began. Metal clashed against metal as the suit of armor slashed at Ryuu. He parried and dodged the best he could, striking when he found openings. Even with the power of the red orb, Ryuu had to admit that his new opponent was strong. They moved in unison. If Ryuu stepped back, then the armor stepped forward. Ryuu ducked against a jab, stooping to one knee and swung his arm to strike the calf armor. It broke off and banged against the ground. The suit froze in place. He gasped. Where he had previously expected to be nothing but darkness, an ankle with gray skin was rapidly growing in its place. A bone shot up and disappeared into the cloth where the upper leg would have been. Tendons and arteries snaked around the white allowing the gray skin to crawl up on these. A body had begun to grow on the inside of the armor! CLING! The calf armor snapped back onto the right place as if it knew where it was needed. Ryuu leapt back in shock. This opponent was much stranger than the last. It began to charge at Ryuu, unleashing even more powerful attacks as it hacked away. RIP! The blade tore the sleeve of his shirt, and he felt the sting of a long scratch. Scarlet streams ran along the length of his arm, but he had to ignore the pain. Ryuu spun around and punched hard at the abdominal piece with his better arm, leaving a hole. What he saw only made him want to run. Through the hole, he could see the gray skin already creeping up towards the upper torso. POP! The armor mended itself, pushing the dent back out like a weed rising from the dead. His mouth hung in disbelief. Now, he could sense his opponent getting stronger. The music picked up speed and they clashed again. His instincts told him that he needed to go on the offense, so he began quickening his attacks. In a brief moment of freedom, Ryuu grasped another knife from his pouch and started to use two weapons: one for defense and the other for offense. Left, right, left, right. Metallic clanging clashed against the upbeat strings of the koto. The suit swung its katana at Ryuu's head. Rather than duck, he blocked the attack with his right kunai. Fluidity was crucial as he ducked under the arms and thrust the kunai deep into the chest armor. He let go of both knives and with the strength of the orb, he summoned the power to kick against the suit. The force of his kick sent the entire set of armor flying across the room and landed with a solid smack once it hit the wall. Empty metal arms, a helmet, and the katana splayed across the floor separately from the rest of the body. The music halted. All the pieces laid there for a moment like a child's puzzle before it began to raddle. Ryuu could hear the chords on the koto being struck one by one.

One… One… One

Then one… one, two… one… one, two.

One, two, one, two

"All power is drawn from a source," Ryuu muttered. He understood the riddle on the door! The suit of armor was gaining power from the music of the koto! Two legs stood upright against the wall. Ryuu had to destroy the instrument. Both left and right arms grew out of the sockets of the chest piece. He turned and sprinted towards the source of power. With each step, the melody picked up speed once more. Metal clasped against the gray arms. Ryuu raised his kunai. The helmet shook violently against the ground. Energy from the red orb tightened the muscles in the ninja's arms as he plunged the kunai deep into the heart of the koto, splitting it in half and snapping all the strings at once. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Every piece of the armor had plummeted to the ground separately.

Ryuu let out a big sigh of relief and plopped down on the floor to catch his breath. He examined his arm, but there wasn't any more blood, not even a trace of injury. He frowned. How did the gash disappear? When he looked back up, he found that everything else was gone too. They were all replaced by another single wooden door. "Oh come on!" He breathed. "How many stupid doors do I have to go through to get out of here?" A better question would have been, _where was here?_

After gaining back his breath, the ninja pulled himself to his feet. By then, he had stopped caring about what he faced. All he wanted was to go back. The spark ignited once more on the wooden door.

BEWARE, THE CLOSER YOU STEP TOWARDS THE LIGHT, THE DARKER YOUR SHADOW BECOMES

Ryuu turned the knob and climbed the third set of glowing stairs. There was something different about this particular set of stairs. Rather than being one simple color, it was made of stained glass, broken into thousands of pieces. Shades of green, yellow, red, and other colors illuminated his path. Ryuu stopped to observe the sight, thinking that the pieces eventually formed some abstract picture, but he couldn't make anything out. So, he continued his ascension. Instead of having a door at the top of the stairs, the floor leveled out into a room that was circular like the previous ones, but much larger and without any visible walls or ceiling. Where the stained glass floor ended, darkness resided all around. A steady shaft of light shined on the epicenter of color. Wandering towards the light, Ryuu could finally make out the mosaic tiling. Pieces of red, orange, and yellow were concentrated near the spotlight while greens, blues, purples, and whites adorned the rest of the floor. All these colors swirled together to create the image of the Konoha Will of Fire. His mouth dropped in awe as he stood in the center of the light.

A prickly feeling arose around him as his hairs began to stand on end. Something was about to happen again. Ryuu glanced around the arena, but saw nothing. Then, he remembered the lasts burned message. His shadow wriggled about with a will of its own. "WHAT IS MY SHADOW DOING?!" He exclaimed in shock. It arched its back and whipped forward, breaking free from Ryuu's body. The boy watched as the black form quickly crawled over the edge of the platform of stained glass. Curiosity made him follow his shadow and pause just a few steps before the edge.

BOOM! A massive dark hand slapped at the edge of platform and the creature hoisted itself back up. Ryuu fell back, but rapidly got back on his feet again to keep his distance. The dark creature had grown considerably in size, stretching far beyond Ryuu's head. Unlike before, this version was deformed in a way that gave off a beastly look with glowing white eyes, claws, and a mammoth of a tail. Once the shadow was comfortably in the arena, it took notice of Ryuu. It crouched down to his level, studying him. Ryuu was terrified as he met the white eyes of his former shadow. For only a few seconds did the two make eye contact before Ryuu was knocked off balance. He didn't fall, but found himself in the grasp of the creature. Not good, he thought to himself. The monster began to squeeze Ryuu. "AGH!" He grunted. He needed to get out before the pressure killed him. He reached for a kunai and pulled his arm out of the black grasp. Just as the pressure intensified, Ryuu stabbed the flesh of the hand and was immediately dropped. The shadow monster swiped at him, but he couldn't evade the blow. Ryuu rolled across the floor after the palm made contact with his body. He shook himself, refusing to be afraid of his own shadow, and tore back across the flame colored floor. He slashed at the black skin again, ripping pieces of dark fiber from the beast. It swiped at him again. This time, Ryuu leaped straight into the air and met the white eyes again. While hanging in the air, Ryuu took full advantage of this opportunity to throw as many shuriken as possible. After releasing a few, he tuck his legs into his body and flipped over, landing away from the shadow monster. Pieces of black fell away from the creature's chest and faded until it disappeared. Ryuu began to draw another shuriken, but couldn't find any more in his bag. Was he out already? He checked with his eyes. Yep, he was empty. Of all the times that he didn't have a full stock, was this really the moment that this strange dream had chosen for him? He let out a breath.

It was time he used his taijutsu and ninjutsu. Ryuu placed his hands into a sign and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" POOF! As soon as it appeared, the white smoke that always followed dissipated into the air, revealing four sets of exact copies of the ninja. All at once, the five began the assault on the shadow monster, each one attacking at a different spot. Ryuu used the shoulder one clone to vault himself up to the giant's shoulder. He landed a perfect punch on the side of the monster's head, knocking it off balance. The shadow monster stumbled and fell to one knee. All the clones gave out from the intensity of the creature's fall, disappearing in separate clouds. Ryuu activated the bloodline trait he had inherited from his mother. "BYAKUGAN!" Finally, he saw how to beat the monster. Using his chakra, he flash-stepped closer to the shadow monster until he could make contact. He took a breath and struck at a pressure point within the beast. "FOUR PALM!" He flash-stepped to another position, striking again with all his strength. "EIGHT PALM!" His chakra coursed through his veins, mingling with the power of the red orb. "SIXTEEN PALM!" The shadow monster jerked with every blow. "THIRTY-TWO PALM!" Shreds of darkness faded into the light. POW! "SIXTY-FOUR PALM!"

The beast lurched forward, crashing down on its ventral side. BOOM! The stained glass floor rocked with the weight of the creature, cracking a few pieces. Like the glass, the shadow monster's body also began to crack. Small streams of black began to disappear from the openings like water vapor from a boiling pot. Ryuu stepped around the body to get a good look at the front. One white orb was still open as the creature began to wriggle back up. With unreasonable speed, it shot its hand out, capturing Ryuu again. It brought him to its face and opened its menacing mouth. Before Ryuu could be eaten, he withdrew his dominant arm, fusing it with as much chakra as he could handle and punched the shadow monster in the jaw. CRACK! The hand let go as the rest of the beast's body gave way into the light. The body folded in on itself, and faded until it was no more. A burst of white light engulfed the entire arena, blinding Ryuu.

X

X

X

**Ryuu's POV**

My eyes snapped back open, and I gasped. I must have been holding my breath.

"Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty," a gruff voice rang through my ears.

I whipped my head around, trying to find the voice. My mouth dropped when I found Daichi-sensei chuckling at me. It dropped even lower as I realized I was back in the gym at school. "Wha-Wha- What just happened?"

"HAHA!" Daichi slapped his knee, laughing harder. "Kid, you should see your face. I love my job, even if I don't like genjutsu one bit."

"Genjutsu?" I repeated.

There was another proctor beside him, scribbling on a clipboard. He whispered something into Daichi's ear and moved away. "Yep," Daichi confirmed. "That was all genjutsu. The last test that determines what kind of fighter you are: brave, cowardly, strong, weak, smart, stupid… you get the hint. Now hit the showers! I've got the others to take care of."

Slowly, I pulled myself up off the floor and surveyed the room. Sure enough, I found some other classmates still passed out, completely under the influence of genjutsu. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and process all what had happened. When I connected all the dots, I let out an "Ohhh." The three trials I had just gone through WAS the last test, and it was all in my head.

Then, a realization struck me. "What a minute! I could have died!" I shouted at Daichi.

The older man didn't bother to turn his head. "Nah, you would have just woken back up again like a bad dream."

Feeling better, but still in shock, I turned and walked into the boys' locker room to freshen up for lunch. The cool water from the shower helped calm me down. After dressing myself, I chatted with Ken about the experience. Both of us had faced the same challenges and soon enough, we were laughing at ourselves for being scared in the first place. We gathered our bags and headed to the cafeteria to join up with everyone else.

"Man, I'm starving!" Ken said as he sat down with his meal.

I had to agree. "Yeah, all that fighting leaves you with an empty stomach." I began scarfing down a bowl of noodles. "Hey, Hikari," I asked in between bites, "did you know that we were under genjutsu?"

She brushed her long, dark purple hair over her shoulder. "At first, no. But I figured it out when the writing on the door appeared. It was a little obvious past that point."

"Are you kidding me?" The Nara twins blurted out. "We didn't know until the last door!"

I motioned with my chopsticks, "So, did anyone else get weirded out by the whole thing? I mean, I have never been under genjutsu before."  
Everyone nodded. "Yeah, it was strange," Teru noted. "I seriously thought I could get eaten by that stone lion."

"So you saw it too?" Ken asked.

"Each student must have had the same trials," Hikari guessed. "The proctors were just watching our reactions and taking notes, making the final decision about our teams. Did you see their clipboards?"

"Of course," I answered. "All of the proctors seemed to know exactly what we were doing. It was like they were reading out minds."

"I didn't know you could do that," Ken said. "Well, if I've learned anything this week, it was that I do NOT like genjutsu. Messing with my mind is not fun."

"Same here, Ken," I chuckled. Everyone else agreed. "I felt so disoriented when I woke up." I swallowed a bite of my food before changing the subject. "So, before the first challenge, we had to pick an energy orb. What did you all pick? I chose strength."

"Wisdom," Hikari answered.

"Strength," Ken said.

"Speed," Kaito added. Hikari eyed him.

"Speed," Emi repeated.

"Wisdom," Tetsu replied.

"Strength," Teru responded.

"That's a shock," I said sarcastically. "Hikari, what was it like to get the blue orb?"

She set down her chopsticks. "It was actually… invigorating. When I was fighting the different monsters, information just came to me out of the blue. My sharingan was sharper, and I just felt like I had memorized some notes and they were coming to me."

Tetsu spoke up. "Me too! I felt like I knew everything and saw everything at the right moment." He turned to me. "What was the red orb like?"

I smiled. "Like I was stronger than anything else. I punched that stone lion and it crumbled to dust!"

"Woah! That's awesome!"

"What about you, Emi and Kaito?"

Emi's eyes lit up, "The yellow orb made me so much faster. I could read my opponents' movements easily and sidestepped so many attacks."

Kaito raised his eyebrows. "I felt faster too, but it still took me a while to deal with the monsters."

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't you all think they were tough?"

Ken shrugged. "Yeah, but nothing we can't handle." I agreed, and he pounded his fist with mine.

Hikari spoke up. "Kaito, what was your last name again?"

Kaito looked bewildered by the random question. "Yuki."

"Hm, and you said that you were from the Mist village?"

"Uh… yeah."

Confused, I interjected, "Why are you asking him that? He already told us before."

"I'm just curious. The Yuki clan is small, but I've heard that they are quite fast. Emi is from the Hyuuga clan and they are fast as well, but Emi chose speed in order to enhance that ability even further. Did you want to do the same?"

Kaito's eyes were wide, but with a few blinks, he was back to normal. He smiled and laughed nervously, "Haha, yeah. Well, you see… I'm… the black sheep of my clan. I'm actually the slowest out of everyone, so… I wanted to see what it was like. I hope one day, I'll catch up to the others."

Hikari held his gaze for a few more seconds before commenting, "Interesting," and took a sip of her drink.

"You know what?" Emi changed the subject. "In a way, this genjutsu test was actually pretty cool. It was an adventure in our heads."

We all laughed at the realization. I had to admit that the experience was cool after getting past the fear of the monsters. But, a shinobi should not be scared of monsters. He is the one who runs towards the enemy no matter how terrifying they are.

X

X  
X

Later that day, we were all staring intently at Iruka-sensei. He was holding a piece of paper in one hand and stroking his white beard with the other hand. Occasionally, he smiled, looked up at us, and muttered something to himself that no one could hear. I was leaning over my desk, trying to understand his words. He was literally holding our future in his hands. The paper contained the teams that we were to be on for the rest of our lives. He would not post the results in the hallway until the school day was over.

My heart was beating so fast, that I thought it could burst through my chest. Hikari looked as if she were trying to burn a whole through that piece of paper. Her sharingan repeatedly turned on and off in frustration from attempting to read her future. Like me, she was leaning forward on her desk with her entire weight on her toes, waiting for the moment the he and bell dismissed us. On the other hand, Kaito looked as if the world was going to end. His eyes were wide and his jaw was clenched.

"Nervous?" I asked, hoping that I didn't sound anxious as well.

"Very, I hope I'm not on a team that hates my guts, especially since I'm obviously the new kid."

I smiled. "No one hates you. You're a cool guy."

He returned the smile but went right to biting his nails. I guess I could not be a convincing person when I, myself, was as scared as a sheep sent to slaughter. Maybe that comparison was a little overboard, but I was really intimidated by whatever was on that paper. All my life, I had been dreaming of this moment. And now, I just wanted to jump through the window and run off. Of course, that wouldn't work out because I would still have that craving of wanting to know who my teammates are. The idea was finally sinking in that today, my life would be determined. Only Buddha knew what was in store for me. I could have teammates that had my back and liked me for who I was, or I could end up with cowards or people like Zan. I prayed that none of the Shadow members would be with me.

Iruka-sensei quietly got up from his desk, and everyone in the room held their breath. Wide eyed, we all watched intently as he calmly strode out the door. It was so silent in the classroom that we could hear him attaching our future to the walls. The door opened. Iruka-sensei sat down in his chair, looking back at us. He smiled. "Good luck to you all."

The bell rang and the entire class erupted into chaos. Chairs were thrown back as students barreled through desks, climbing on top of each other to be the first ones out in the hall. I felt a yank on my wrist. Hikari was dragging me across the room at lightning speed, leaping over the crowd and bursting through the door. We finally halted at what lay before us on the wall. In clear black letters, fate was decided.

"YES!" I shouted in pure happiness.

X  
X  
X

**Hikari's POV**

I read the names in my head rapidly before I found my name, then backtracked to find out who my teammates were. I smiled, thrilled and satisfied that Ryuu Uzumaki was on my team. But the next name erased that joy. Kaito Yuki. Someone I did not trust was now a part of me, Team 23. I looked to my left and saw him high-fiving Ryuu with a smile. As if he were sensing this, he met my gaze. Other students were now jostling for a peek at the list. I left before a word could be said between us.

I felt a touch at both of my shoulders. It was Emi and Ken, so I lighten up. "Guess what?" Ken grinned from ear to ear. Blazer circled around us, barking ecstatically.

Emi finished for him before I could guess, "We're on the same team!"

"Congratulations," I smiled for them. "Who's the third person?"

"Benjirou."

"That's a good match."

"What about you? I heard Ryuu shouting. He sounded happy."  
"Yes, him and," my tone turned cynical, "Kaito."

They shared a glance with each other. "You really don't like him, do you?" Emi asked.

"I don't he is who he says he is." I confirmed.

"Hmm," Kenshin crossed his arms in thought. "Well, there must be something that's kept you this way ever since you've laid eyes on the guy."

I nodded and was about to continue, but we were interrupted by the twins. "Hey, guys!" They sang in unison. "Wish we had one of you with us."

"Yeah," Ken turned to them. "I figured you two would be on the same team since you guys are already in sync all the time."  
Emi popped the same question with curiosity, "So, who's the new edition to your squadron?"

"A girl named Ayame Fujioka," Teru answered.

Tetsu added, "She's the quiet one that sits in the back with some of the other girls in class."

We all nodded and wished them luck.

Right after they left, I heard Ryuu calling for me by the school exit. I quickly turned back to Emi and Ken in order to resume our previous conversation. "I was going to forget about him until he became my teammate. Now that we're responsible for each other's lives, I need to know more about him."

"In that case," Ken said, "do what you need to do."

"I will. Just don't tell Ryuu."

"Okay," the two of them agreed. I turned to walk away. "Hikari?"

"Yes?"

"If you run into trouble, let us know."

I nodded and followed Ryuu outside. Once out, I spotted Kaito going his separate way across the school grounds. Ryuu began chattering about the new team and didn't notice me slipping behind a fence. Quickly, I performed a shadow clone jutsu and sent the clone after Kaito. When I came back onto the sidewalk, he still hadn't noticed. The blonde was in midsentence when he noticed I was just a step behind. "Did I miss something?" He asked in bewilderment.

I shook my head. "Just had to tie my shoe. I didn't want to interrupt."

"Oh, alrighty," he went back to his excitement. "Anyway, I can't wait until we meet our new sensei."

"Akiyama Raion," I added.

"Hmm," he put a finger to his chin. "So… Raion-sensei." Ryuu allowed for that name to sink in. "His name is lion?"

"Hn."

"Strange but not the strangest name I've ever heard." The two of us finally reached his house. "I can't wait to meet him tomorrow."

"Yeah."

He waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow morning!"

"See you then," I waved back, and walked at a brisk pace home. As soon as I walked through my front door, however, I was blocked by my parents.

My mother's face lighted up and she began laying siege with questions. "So, how was your day? What did your teachers have in store for you? What is your team? Do you know your sensei? Is Ryuu on the same team as you?"

I halted, debating how to answer all the questions. My father waited patiently with his arms crossed. He was scanning to see if he could read my mind before I could divulge anything. Fortunately, his eyes were black rather than red with the sharingan. "Yes, Ryuu is on my team. Our sensei's name is Akiyama Raion. We have to meet him tomorrow morning by the school."

My mother sighed with relief. "Thank goodness you have Ryuu." She put her hands on her hips and smiled. "I just knew you two were going to be together. You've trained with one another all your lives. Congratulations! I'm so happy." She reached out with her pale arms and hugged me tightly.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm glad he's one my side, too."

It was too bad my father caught the question I did not answer. "Who's the last member?"

Oh crap, I thought to myself. "Yuki Kaito."

"He's from the Yuki clan of the Mist village?" My father asked analytically.

I decided to be honest. After all, I didn't have anything to lose. If I turned out to be wrong, my family would not betray me. They'd keep it a tight secret. "He's a nobody. There's something about him that I don't like." I tried to communicate with him through my eyes, telling him I needed to be left alone to investigate.

"Hikari, he's your teammate! You shouldn't call him a nobody," My mother scolded. "Don't think yourself too high and mighty like your father used to." She put her hands on her hips and flipped a pink lock behind her ear.

He got the message and turned his back. "Hn."

I bolted up the stairs, dropped off my bag, and changed out of my school uniform. I could hear my mother arguing while my father stayed stoic. Without any further interruptions, I exited the Uchiha house via my bedroom window to avoid my mother's rage.

Once outside, I made my way to the main street and walked onto the roof of a random building using chakra concentrated at my feet. Closing my eyes, I tried to get a location on my clone. Where is it? Finally, I sensed it not too far off. Locking onto the signal, I leapt from roof to roof until I came upon the marketplace.

"He's here somewhere." After a brief scan, I identified the target and began my pursuit. However, I did not dismiss my clone in case he walked into a shop. He calmly walked the streets of Konoha, buying a few groceries here and there. He wasn't wearing his school uniform anymore, so he must have changed. The last item he bought, was a small, sweet rice cake before making his way out of the area.

"Hikari! Wait up!" a voice called out. Oh no! Not good at all. Of all people, Ryuu was the one to have seen my clone. I had to get my clone away from him. Luckily, Ryuu was at quite a distance. My clone sped into an alley and disappeared in a puff of smoke before he could reach it. I may have to explain to him tomorrow, but I was still alright for today. My friend sported a confused expression, then turned away to head back home. Phew. I wiped my brow and continued following Kaito. He was about to pass the small temple on the outskirts of the marketplace, when the monk sweeping the steps waved at him.

"Hello, Kaito. How was it today?" The old man greeted.

Kaito grinned. "Good and bad, sir."

"How so, young one?" He stopped his sweeping motion. "Did you not become a genin like you have strived for?"  
"I am a genin. And I have been placed on a team with two others. One has already befriended me, but the other…"

"What about the other, young one?" The monk leaned in intently. He had a kind face with a wise expression. In addition, he wore simple robes and plain black sandals.

"She's difficult."

"Ah, it is a girl problem."

"Not like that, sir. What I mean is that she hates me. How can I fight with someone who does not want me as a teammate?"

"Does she know about you?"

Kaito thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so."

"Then all is well."

"I… I guess so," the brunette shrugged.

"How is your mother?"

Kaito sighed and his shoulders drooped. "She still hasn't kicked him out yet."

"You must help her realize this mistake."

"I've tried every day and every night, but she doesn't do anything. It's like she refuses to do anything."

"One day, young one, she will. If you stay strong, it will get better." The monk held up Kaito's chin and smiled. "As long you don't give up, things will get better."

Kaito sighed. "If only it could speed up."

"Well, let's not dwell on that right now. When is your first mission?"

"I don't know, but I get to meet my sensei tomorrow!" Kaito's demeanor lightened up. "And then I'll begin training as an official genin!"

The monk chuckled. "I look forward to the results. Oh my, it's starting to get dark."

"Yes it is," Kaito looked up at the sky. "I should be getting home before _he_ does."

"Of course, young one. Now, don't be a stranger and tell me all the adventures you have the next time we meet."

"I will. Good night!"

"Good night."

They departed from each other and Kaito advanced towards the shadier side of town.

I had no fear of thugs, but I recognized how long I had been out. I told myself that I would leave as soon as I figured out where he lived.

Kaito entered an old, rundown apartment complex and stopped at the third door on the second level. Why would a member of the Yuki clan reside in the slums? I climbed to the third floor of the same complex to hear better. I made sure no one noticed. From the inside of apartment, glass broke.

"Mom?" Kaito called as soon as he opened the door? "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Honey. I just wasn't paying attention."

"Is _he_ here?"

"Not yet, he's still out with his friends. Have you gotten all the groceries?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Now, how was your day at school?"

"Great."

"That's good. Could you please close the window?"

That was all I heard after Kaito shut the window. I was still unsatisfied with this information I had gathered today, but I had to return home before dinner. So, I concentrated more chakra to my feet and leapt across the rooftops towards my own home. I needed dinner and a full night's rest before tomorrow. But after meeting my sensei and having our first training session, I would follow Kaito again to learn more. The old monk confirmed it. He was hiding something.

**Kaito's POV**

Ever since I had left school this afternoon, I had felt as if someone was watching me, but whenever I turned around, no one was there. It was strange mostly because I hadn't had any suspicions like that unless I had previously watched a scary movie by myself. Thankfully, that feeling faded away as soon as I got home and closed the door. Mom had made boiled eggs, rice, and water cress soup for dinner. It was simple, but homey, and I really needed a sense of home.

"How was school today, Kaito?" Mom asked after lifting her chopsticks.

I smiled for her. "Great, I got my new team today."

"That's good news. Who's on your team?"

"Uzumaki Ryuu. Can you believe it?"

She choked on her rice and coughed. "The hokage's son? Oh my!"

"Yeah, I can't believe they put me on a team with him! He's really cool."

"What about the other? Isn't there usually a girl on each team?"

My excitement dropped. I took a swig of water. "Just a girl named Hikari." Honestly, I had enough for one day. Mom did not need to know that the top student was out to get me or that she was also an Uchiha. My mom had heard about Lord Uchiha's history with Konoha and forbade me to associate with anyone from the Uchiha family. I never knew why Hikari and her brothers were off limits until I met her on the first day of school. She obviously did not like me and just might stab me in the back if I wasn't careful with my words.

"Kaito?"

"Yes?"

"You weren't listening were you?"

I admitted sheepishly. "Uh, sorry. I trailed off."

Mom put her rice bowl aside and took a sip of soup. "I said, 'I worry about you over there sometimes.'"

"Oh, there's no need, Mom."

She clicked her tongue. "All those other kids have been raised to be shinobi. You haven't had that privilege."

"I'll get better. I'm already learning a lot."

She sighed. "I know you've been very careful. Please keep on doing so."

"I will. Don't worry, Mom. It's not like they're all savages. Most are actually very nice people. I've made friends." Correction, I hope I've made friends, but there was no way I would tell her that part.

Mom smiled and dropped the subject. Tonight, she ordered me to bed early for a good night's rest so that I would be ready for tomorrow. Though I was much too old to be told to go to bed, I did so anyway because I knew at some point during the night, _he_ would come here. As I lay in bed, I thought over the pros and cons of my team. Ryuu was already more than helpful to me since the day I came to the Academy. I would never admit to being clingy, but I was desperate for a friend. The first day terrified me. I didn't know anyone and certainly was not trained anywhere near as well as the others. Ryuu was kind enough to lend a friendly hand, and I never let go. Honestly, I hoped that the kids he hung out with would accept me into their group. They were all friendly and good hearted. Even I could see that. Hikari, on the other hand, was a different story. Unlike everyone else, she constantly analyzed me like she was trying to pry out my secret and hates my guts. And what was Zan's take on all this? Why was he so bent on trying to beat the living daylight out of Ryuu? Why did he turn on me when it was obvious that I was new? I hadn't even said a word to him. That was what I didn't understand. The only crime I had committed were just a few white lies to get into the Sanin Academy without having to go through the embarrassment of attending the younger kids' Academy.

Bang! Mom's boyfriend was home. Normally, I'm the type of person who finds little to hate, but he was the one piece of scum that I truly loathed. Mom began dating him about a year ago, and I knew he was trouble the moment he moved in with us. He claims to work on the Konoha construction team, but for the most part, he just lays around, drinks beer, and gambles with his scumbag buddies. Sometimes, he brings them over to the place just to watch TV and play poker. Whenever he does go out, it's because he's going to the bar. I suspect he's even looking into doing some sort of drugs, but I'm not sure yet.

"Hi honey, are you hungry?" My mom asked cheerily.

"Already ate," he said. I heard him plop onto the couch in the living room. It was going to be a typical night.

"Alright, I'll put the food in the fridge."

"You do the laundry?" He asked gruffly. "I need my shirt."

"Check the basket. I folded some today and put it in there. It's beside the couch."

"Not there." His voice began to rise.

"Are you sure?"

"It's not there!"

Mom took a few footsteps. "Here it is. It's at the bottom of the basket. You just needed to look through it." She walked back into the kitchen.

"Hand me the remote."

"Baby, I was just there. It's on top of the TV." Mom's voice was still soft.

"Can't reach it." His voice grew rougher.

"Just get up."

"Woman!"

I gritted my teeth. I was caught between giving him a piece of my mind or staying in bed. I've never hated anyone before as much as I hated him. But, I knew I couldn't do anything. Even if he wasn't working, he somehow found the money to pay the rent, electricity, and utility bills. I know he gets the money illegally, but I don't know how. Mom doesn't make very much money herself.

That's why I wanted to be a ninja. I could make enough money to pay all the bills and become strong enough to physically kick him out and make sure that this never happens to us again. But, I'm hardly even qualified to become a ninja. I've heard stories that civilians are highly discouraged from being ninjas, especially since we are not born with specific talents or skills. I have chakra, but hardly enough to produce a single clone. Plus, more and more clients for shinobi services request clan members. I wouldn't stand a chance. If anyone had ever known about who I really was, I would just be carrion in the streets. No one would accept a nobody like me.

* * *

**Please review! I'd love to hear constructive criticism in order to help improve my writing. Some suggestions and ideas are also appreciated if you have any. Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. I'm working on the next chapter now, but again, it's the details that are taking time such as when to put out which emotions or actions for the characters.**


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